OCP company focuses on improving Morocco's water access resources
Morocco's leading fertilizer company, OCP, has reaffirmed its dedication to driving the country's sustainable development with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding and concession contract with the Moroccan government. The aim of these agreements is to strengthen water management and promote the desalination of seawater to improve the supply of drinking water in the Safi and El Jadida regions.
These initiatives are part of OCP's comprehensive sustainability programs, which prioritize optimized water management through the use of non-conventional water resources, such as treated urban wastewater and desalinated seawater.
As reported by Morocco World News, the signing ceremony, attended by Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, OCP representatives and officials from the Ministries of Water and Energy Transition and the Ministry of Interior, marks an important step in the implementation and acceleration of the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program 2020-2027 (NADWSP 20-27).
Morocco has been facing challenges posed by drought and insufficient rainfall, which have affected both the drinking water supply and the agricultural sector. In response, the collaboration between OCP and the Government aims to protect the water source of the Oum-Er-Rbia water basin to ensure uninterrupted access to drinking water for the region's population.
Last year, the kingdom established a program centered on a long-term strategic partnership with OCP to sustainably mobilize water resources by desalinating seawater to supply drinking water to Safi and El Jadida, while meeting industrial demand from the phosphate group.
In line with its "water neutrality" strategy, the company intends to promote the use of renewable energy sources and to use only non-conventional water for its industrial operations, ceasing to use natural freshwater resources in its fertilizer production as of this year.
Under the emergency plan, Morocco aims to produce and supply 85 million cubic meters (m3) of water per year between 2023 and 2025, rising to 110 million m3 per year from 2026.
In 2023, the plan calls for production of 10 million m3 for Safi and 30 million m3 for El Jadida. Volumes will continue to increase to 15 million m3 per year for Safi and 32 million m3 per year for El Jadida in 2024 and 2025, respectively. By 2026, the plan will allocate 30 million m3 per year for Safi and 45 million m3 per year for El Jadida.
For industrial water use, the emergency plan aims to ensure the mobilization of 35 million m3 per year of treated desalinated water in the long term. This includes the allocation of 75 million m3 per year for utility needs, while OCP will receive 35 million m3 per year for industrial use starting in 2026.
The seawater desalination process will involve four desalination units, two of which will be located in the Jorf Lasfar industrial park and the other two in Safi.
In addition, the concession contract between OCP Green Water and the Government guarantees the right to desalinate seawater at competitive costs to supply drinking water to public distribution utilities, such as the Autonomous Water and Electricity Distribution Board of El Jadida and the autonomous intermunicipal water and electricity distribution company of Safi province.
To address the recent drought situation, Morocco has pledged several measures, including the construction of additional dams, to strengthen water management and increase water security throughout the country.
Currently, the North African country has 136 small dams, as well as 152 large dams with a collective storage capacity of more than 19 billion m3, in addition to 16 others under construction with a storage capacity of almost 5 billion m3.