On 7 May 2020, the Algerian Minister of Water Resources, Arezki Berraki, stated that work on the construction of three new seawater desalination plants will soon start in Algeria. The infrastructures will be installed on three sites, Algiers, Annaba, 536 kilometres east of the capital Algiers, and Skikda, 471 kilometres east of Algiers.
“The capital’s project will have a capacity of 300,000 m3/day. The three new plants are intended to reinforce the existing desalination structures,” said Berraki.
There are already 11 seawater desalination plants in Algeria. These are spread over nine provinces: Chlef, Tlemcen, Algiers, Skikda, Mostaganem, Oran, Boumerdès, Tipaza and Ain Témouchent. The facilities produce 17 % of the total amount of drinking water consumed nationally.
The minister also announced that the project also provides for the supply of water to the country’s coastal towns and to inland towns, so they do not solely rely on rainwater.