Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure Affairs, received a group of officials of private sector companies specialized in implementing projects for seawater desalination plants and sewage treatment plants and sludge generated from them using the latest global energy-saving technologies, to discuss opportunities in implementing projects and reducing the cost of operation and maintenance. And ease of operation, as the meeting was attended by the head of the Drinking Water, Wastewater and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, and representatives of the Ministry’s Project Management Unit (PMU).
Encouraging private sector participation
The Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure Affairs confirmed that this meeting comes within the framework of the state’s directions to encourage the participation of the private sector in implementing the state’s ambitious plans in various fields, and in line with the Cabinet’s launch of the State Ownership Policy document, and in implementation of the directives of the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, regarding the need to overcome any obstacles. You may encounter the participation of the private sector in drinking water and sanitation projects, which are intended to be implemented with the participation of the private sector.
Desalination strategic plan
The Deputy Minister of Housing for Infrastructure Affairs started the meeting by welcoming the attendees, and emphasizing that the volume of opportunities currently available for private sector participation in implementing the state’s ambitious plans in the field of drinking water and sanitation is unprecedented, reviewing the current situation of covering drinking water and sanitation services, and explaining the opportunities currently available for participation. The private sector in the implementation of the desalination plants that are planned to be implemented in the strategic plan for desalination until 2050, sewage and industrial treatment plants that are planned to be implemented in the new governorates and cities, and sludge treatment plants in order to provide the necessary energy for the work of operating the stations.
In the same context, representatives of private sector companies reviewed their plans to contribute to the implementation of projects, and confirmed their full readiness to participate in the available opportunities in the utilities sector, using the latest global technologies that are compatible with the environmental and social conditions of Egypt, and will also contribute to reducing the cost of operation and maintenance by using energy-saving tasks. Representatives of the companies also presented previous experiences in implementing mobile seawater desalination plants and sewage treatment plants using energy-saving technologies while benefiting from the sludge generated from them.
The Deputy Minister of Housing concluded the meeting by stressing the need for continued coordination between all parties to achieve the state’s goals in the planned development, and to provide drinking water and sanitation services at the appropriate cost and the required quality for all citizens, while benefiting from modern energy-saving technologies.