• Veolia's major Moroccan desalination project, Africa's largest, is almost a year old but remains "in the maturation phase" with no public progress announced yet.
• Intense negotiations are focused on key factors like the final pricing structure and finding the right subcontractors for the complex maritime and terrestrial works.
• Morocco seeks the best price and technology transfer to ensure long-term water sovereignty, aligning the project with its national water resilience plan.

October 29, 2025, marked the anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Veolia and Morocco for the design and operation of what will be Africa's largest seawater desalination plant (and the second largest in the world). The French group secured this strategic agreement during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit.

Almost a year after this memorandum of understanding, the level of public information suggests that the project remains "in the maturation phase." The company, which cites the initiative as one of its central pillars and aims to " double its global desalination plant capacity by 2030," has not yet communicated the project's progress to the public.

The effective launch of construction was initially scheduled for late 2025, with commissioning expected in 2028-2029. Ultimately, everything depends on the ability to move quickly on key issues inherent to this type of initiative. As early as November 2024, specialist media such as La Lettre de l'Expansion reported that pricing would be at the heart of intense negotiations.

Veolia, for its part, promises an innovative and modern infrastructure, based on its low-pressure reverse osmosis (RO) process, with an energy efficiency of 3 to $4 \, \text{kWh/m³}$ and the integration of renewable energies (solar and wind) to reduce $\text{CO}_2$ emissions compared to standards. It can be expected that this technology, from the global desalination leader that claims "18% of global capacity," will entail substantial costs throughout the project's duration.

The Cherifian Kingdom, which must provide an effective response to a structural water crisis, will, however, strive to obtain the best possible price to preserve the purchasing power of its populations, while granting significant commitments regarding technology transfer, notably local training and the integration of Moroccan expertise, to ensure long-term water sovereignty.

Another crucial aspect of this project will therefore be finding the best subcontractors for specific physical infrastructure construction works, both on land and at sea. Unconfirmed information reported by Africa Intelligence in October 2025 suggests a possible partnership between the Chinese firm Sepco III (a specialist in industrial equipment) and the Moroccan firm Somagec (a local civil engineering leader). These consultations, which have reportedly been ongoing since the summer of 2025, are consistent with Veolia's logic of pooling expertise: Sepco for the turbines and membranes, and Somagec for the maritime and/or terrestrial works.

A Strategic Project for Veolia and its Partner, the Kingdom of Morocco

Beyond the discussions, this project embodies a strategic response to Morocco's water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change and a demand increase of $20$ billion $\text{m}^3$ by 2030. Aligned with the National Water Plan 2020-2050, it will raise national desalination production to more than $1$ million $\text{m}^3$/day, diversifying sources beyond dams (currently $200,000 \, \text{m}^3$/day via 13 plants). For Rabat, it is a resilience asset: water conveyed via the "water motorways" will support agriculture (20% of GDP) and cities.

During the signing of the memorandum of understanding in 2024, Estelle Brachlianoff, CEO of Veolia, promised: "We will put the best of our international expertise and our long-standing presence in the region at the service of the Kingdom for a benchmark project in terms of performance and sustainability."

Veolia is already recognised in global desalination: in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the company built the Qidfa desalination plant, capable of producing $590,000 \, \text{m}^3$ of desalinated water per day, with an original technology "to meet the freshwater needs of the population and contribute to the region's development."

With over 2,300 sites in 108 countries, the group has the means to position itself in the "green waters" sector in an Africa where many countries and regions with significant coastlines suffer from poor access to drinking water for their populations, due to the effects of climate change, which heighten the pressures on river basins.

Idriss Linge