Dr. Sayed Ismail, Deputy Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, met with officials from the Cypriot Embassy in Egypt and representatives from the water sector in Cyprus via video conference to explore future collaboration opportunities.
Welcoming Remarks and Focus on Collaboration
The Deputy Minister began the meeting by welcoming the Cypriot embassy officials and water sector representatives, emphasizing the Ministry of Housing’s keen interest in exchanging expertise and sharing successful experiences between the two countries, particularly in water desalination projects.
Strategic Goals for Desalination in Egypt
Dr. Ismail highlighted the various communication channels the Ministry of Housing established with the private sector through pre-qualifying companies for public-private partnership projects. He noted Egypt’s strategic plan to produce 9 million cubic meters per day by 2050 and approximately 2.7 million cubic meters by 2030 as part of its desalination strategy.
Current Achievements and Future Projects
The Deputy Minister provided an overview of Egypt’s operational seawater desalination plants, which have been developed since 2014. The country operates 125 desalination plants with a total capacity of 1.31 million cubic meters per day, alongside several other plants currently under construction.
Commitment to Knowledge Sharing
Dr. Ismail affirmed the Ministry’s readiness to share expertise in organizing and managing drinking water services and seawater desalination projects. He also mentioned the significant investments made in collaboration with development partners and other investors.
Strengthening Cooperation
The Deputy Minister concluded by reiterating Egypt’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with Cyprus in drinking water, wastewater treatment, and seawater desalination in the future.
Cypriot Officials’ Response
Cypriot water sector officials admired Egypt’s accomplishments in seawater desalination. They affirmed their interest in collaborating with the Egyptian side by exchanging expertise in desalination projects.