Wall Street Journal spotlights Morocco Agadir desalination plant as a solution to water stress

A recent report by the Wall Street Journal’s Sustainable Business published on Wednesday shed light on Morocco’s implemented desalination strategy as a potential lifeline amid drought and water stress crises.

Titled, “How a Moroccan Fishing Town Could Hold the Key to Water Stress in a Warming World,” the journal highlighted Agadir’s new renewable energy-powered plant as part of a growing trend fueled by the country’s abundant wind and sunlight

The report quoted Peter Fiske, executive director of the National Alliance for Water Innovation at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in California, saying that desalination is a valuable asset in a water portfolio compared to sources like surface water, groundwater, and recycled wastewater, as it is unaffected by drought and climate change.

The same source emphasized Morocco’s progress in adopting renewable energy sources,  noting that the country’s reliance on wind and solar power has surged from negligible levels a decade ago to approximately 20% of its current energy mix.

With ambitious targets of reaching 50% renewable energy penetration by 2030, according to the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy, the kingdom is poised to become a leader in clean energy adoption.

This shift has implications for industrial sectors like desalination, underscored the report, as renewable energy offers a cost-effective and sustainable power source.

For context, the Agadir desalination plant, operated by the Spanish energy and water giant Coxabengoa, is producing 275,000 cubic meters of water per day, with 150,000 cubic meters allocated for drinking water–sufficient to meet the basic daily needs of one million people. The remaining 125,000 cubic meters are utilized for irrigation.

This plant is part of the kingdom’s expanding desalination infrastructure, with a larger 800,000 cubic meter plant currently under construction in Casablanca.