OCP Green Water: Jorf Lasfar-Khouribga pipeline underway
Ahmed Znibar, Managing Director of OCP Green Water, made the announcement at the 3rd International Chemistry Forum. A few days ago, OCP inaugurated the water pipeline linking the Jorf Lasfar seawater desalination plant to the Khouribga mining site.
The 203-kilometer-long pipeline is fed by a new desalination unit́ built at the Jorf Lasfar platform, dedicated tò supplying the city of Khouribga. It enables the transfer of a desalinated water capacity of 80 million cubic meters per year and is thus the first structure of its kind in Morocco to enable the transfer of desalinated water over such a distance.
A project costing 5 billion Dirhams
At a cost of 5 billion Dirhams (USD 500 million), financed by the IFC, the CDG, and the OCP Group, the project has generated́ significant economic and social spin-offs. In terms of employment, the site mobilized́ around one million man-days, the equivalent of 1,300 jobs on average per day for two years, with local labor accounting for 85%. In the operating phase, 100 permanent jobs are created, contributing tò the socio-economic dynamic of the territory.
Technically, the pipeline was designed with the help of JESA and world-renowned engineering firms, and carried out́ by a Moroccan consortium of companies selected́ following an international call for tenders, in this case SGTM-STAM.
Thanks to the expertise of these local partners, supported by University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P’s) R&D teams and reinforced by international know-how, the major technical challenges were easily overcome, enabling the project to be completed in a record time of 24 months, it is explained.
Millions of cubic meters saved for irrigation and drinking water
According to Ahmed Znibar, « it will take three months for the pipeline to be fully operational. From then on, 50 million m3 will be used to cover the industrial needs of the Khouribga mining site, 20 million will be used for agriculture, and the remaining 10 million m3 will be used to supply the town of Khouribga with drinking water «.
I It should be noted that this project is part of OCP Group’s response to the Government’s request to help cope with the water emergency that has been affecting the country since 2018. Indeed, with the entry into service of the Jorf-Khouribga water pipeline, the city of Khouribga will in turn benefit from desalinated water from Jorf Lasfar to meet its drinking water needs, in addition to its mining needs. This follows the supply of drinking water, in less than three years, to the cities of Safi, El Jadida, and the South of Casablanca.
Aziz DIOUF
