For the Spanish Executive, Morocco is a country fully committed to the implementation of the ambitious program of installing water treatment and desalination plants to combat water stress, which is why it has decided to granting a reimbursable credit of 5 million euros intended for the creation of two new stations which will benefit both countries.
The Spanish government strongly supports the granting of a repayable loan of up to 5 million euros to Morocco for the construction of two water treatment plants, as this could further strengthen the bilateral partnership by opening up more opportunities to Spanish companies, given the many projects planned by the Kingdom of Morocco.
According to the Spanish media, MP Pablo Cambronero recently challenged the Executive to justify the granting by the Council of Ministers of this loan of 5 million euros and charged to the Business Internationalization Fund (FIEM), to the Moroccan National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) to finance the project to build two water treatment plants in Zag and Moulay Brahim.
In response, the government asserted that Morocco is one of the key partners and the main market for Spanish exports in Africa. According to the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, exports to the Kingdom increased by 18.6% in the first quarter of the year to reach 3,250.8 million euros and amounted in 2022 to a total of 11,748.2 million, i.e. 23.8% more than in 2021.
Likewise, Morocco is considered a priority country for Spanish companies in the PASE (Country of Sectoral Strategic Action) and Horizon Africa strategies“, explains this government, noting that it is currently engaged in a “ ambitious program of water treatment and desalination plants to combat water stress“.
Indeed, Morocco has demonstrated a serious commitment and is making great strides in terms of installing seawater desalination plants to meet its water resource needs, in a context marked by the episodes successive droughts and water stress. Thus, the Kingdom’s ambition is to be able to provide 1.3 billion cubic meters of drinking and irrigation water by 2030, moving from dependence on conventional sources to the implementation of the station project. desalination of sea water.
In addition, Morocco currently has 9 seawater desalination stations operational or under construction with a capacity of 147 million cubic meters per year, and will launch, this year, the work of three new infrastructure on the Atlantic coast. According to the declarations of the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, the stations will be installed in the cities of Casablanca, El Jadida and Safi.
On the other hand, the Executive emphasizes that ” this repayable financing would aim to strengthen collaboration with Morocco in the water sector and, in particular, with ONEE, in order to support (Spanish) companies present on the market and in a sector where the Spanish offer is particularly competitive and where the projects in the country’s pipeline are very important“.