Casablanca Desalination Plant

The Casablanca Desalination Plant is a flagship water infrastructure and climate resilience megaproject designed to secure the long-term drinking water supply and irrigation supply for the Greater Casablanca metropolitan region and surrounding areas.¹ The project is distinctive in scale and approach; upon completion, it be the largest desalination plant in Africa and the largest desalination facility globally operated on 100 percent renewable energy.^{2 3} It forms part of Morocco’s National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation (2020 – 2027), a nationwide initiative with an overall budget of MAD 143 billion (USD 14.3 billion), responding to escalating water stress driven by prolonged rainfall deficits, groundwater depletion, and rising urban and agricultural demand.⁴

Its vision is to “diversify Morocco’s water-supply portfolio” by shifting toward large-scale, non-conventional water resources capable of withstanding climate variability.⁵
The project aims to provide a reliable, sustainable, and climate-resilient water source for the rapidly growing Casablanca metropolitan area, reduce dependence on overstressed conventional resources, and strengthen long-term water security while supporting social and economic development.⁶

Located in Sidi Rahal within the Greater Casablanca area, the project occupies a fifty-hectare⁷ coastal site integrating desalination, energy supply, and water distribution infrastructure. At full operation, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 300 million cubic meters, serving an estimated 7.5 million inhabitants.⁸ for potential agricultural use.⁹ The system will produce 250 million cubic meters of drinking water for urban supply and up to 50 million cubic meters per year for agriculture use.¹⁰
To implement the vision, core elements include:^{11 12 13}
Desalination Infrastructure

• Seawater reverse osmosis plant with a final production capacity of 838,000 cubic meters per day.
• Two seawater intake pipelines of 1,850 meters, and a 2,500-meter discharge outfall.
• Reverse osmosis units with pre treatment and post treatment facilities
• Sludge treatment system and centralized control and management center.

Renewable Energy System

• Full power supply secured through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
• Energy provided by the 360 Megawatt Bir Anzarane wind farm, with 47 percent of its output dedicated to the desalination plant.
• Guaranteed operation using one hundred percent renewable energy.

Water Transport and Distribution Network

• Pumping stations and storage reservoirs serving the metropolitan region.
• Approximately 130 kilometers of pipelines for regional drinking water transmission.
• Network designed to supply Casablanca, Settat, Berrechid, Bir Jdid, and surrounding localities.

The project is publicly authorized and initiated by the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE)¹⁴ and implemented under a public private partnership (PPP).¹⁵ With the Al Baidaa Desalination Company, a consortium was formed by ACCIONA (50 percent), Green of Africa (45 percent) and AfriquiaGaz (5 percent).^{16 17} The total cost of the desalination plant is estimated at about USD 653 million,¹⁸ financed through this PPP with the participation of FIEM through ICO, Société Générale (with coverage from Cesce under the Green Investment Policy), Attijariwafa Bank, Banque Centrale Populaire, Bank of Africa, Caixa and COFIDES.¹⁹ ACCIONA will be responsible for construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility for a 27-year period,²⁰ while the associated water transport system will require an additional MAD 3 billion (approximately USD 301 million) financed by public funds.²¹

The plant is implemented in phases:

• Phase 1: Operational by the end of 2026, reaching 548,000 cubic meters of treated water per day.²²
• Phase 2: Capacity expansion to 822,000 cubic meters per day²³
• Full completion: 2028.²⁴