Egypt, Rosatom discuss desalination project in Dabaa City

Egypt is working with Russia’s Rosatom on a seawater desalination project in Dabaa that would supply water to the city and surrounding areas while also meeting the needs of the country’s planned nuclear power complex.

Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat met with officials from Rosatom’s infrastructure subsidiary to review the project’s technical studies, designs, and implementation plans, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

Esmat said the project is being developed as part of a broader water-supply initiative for Dabaa, with the desalinated water expected to support urban expansion, economic and industrial activity in the area, and the needs of the Dabaa nuclear power plant.

The two sides discussed Rosatom’s desalination technologies and expertise, as well as the project’s implementation timetable and technical requirements.

Egypt is seeking to increase the domestic economic benefits of the project by developing local manufacturing of equipment, components, and other supplies used in desalination facilities.

The government is also exploring ways to commercially utilise salts and minerals recovered during the desalination process. Such by-products could support salt-related industries, subject to technical and economic assessments, the ministry said.

The officials also reviewed how greater involvement by Egyptian companies could help transfer technology, develop local industrial capabilities, and increase the share of domestically manufactured components used in desalination projects.

The initiative could eventually contribute to the development of a specialised industrial base serving Egypt’s desalination market and potentially regional projects, according to the ministry.

Esmat said the project should extend beyond water production to include technology transfer, local manufacturing, the economic use of desalination by-products and broader development in Dabaa.

Egyptian and Russian teams also discussed training Egyptian personnel and developing local expertise across different stages of the project.

A Rosatom official said the Russian state nuclear corporation and its subsidiaries were committed to continued cooperation with Egypt and to providing the technology and expertise required for the project.

The desalination plans add to Egypt’s broader cooperation with Rosatom as the two countries develop the Dabaa nuclear power project, while Cairo seeks to expand local participation and capture greater industrial benefits from major infrastructure investments.