Egypt’s Cabinet approved on Thursday a draft presidential decree concerning two grants from the African Development Bank (AFDB) to support a renewable energy-powered water desalination project.

The project forms part of the water pillar of Egypt’s Nexus of Water, Food and Energy programme, known as NWFE. 

The grants will help finance technical studies and environmental and social impact assessments for the project.

The first grant, worth €500,000, will be provided by the African Water Facility to finance the technical studies required for the development of five renewable energy-powered desalination plants.

The plants will be implemented through public-private partnerships and are expected to increase water availability by 525,000 cubic metres per day across four governorates.

The second grant, valued at 280,000 Units of Account, will be provided by the Middle Income Countries Technical Assistance Fund.

It will support environmental and social assessment studies for the project and help build the capacity of workers in the water sector.

The project ultimately aims to increase the availability of desalinated water for multiple uses and strengthen Egypt’s water security.