Morocco plans to meet 60% of its drinking water needs through desalination by 2030, up from 25% today, Water Minister Nizar Baraka said on Thursday during the World Water Congress in Marrakech. Baraka told Reuters that desalination is now essential to securing the country's food production and long-term water supply, especially after several consecutive years of drought. According to the minister, Morocco aims to produce 1.7 billion cubic meters of desalinated water per year by 2030, relying on plants already under construction as well as new facilities set to be tendered starting next year. The largest project will be located near Tiznit, representing an investment of approximately 10 billion dirhams. With a planned capacity of 350 million cubic meters, it will supply several urban centers in Morocco's agricultural heartland as well as surrounding farmland. «Studies are already underway, and the tender should be launched by mid-2026», Baraka said. Additional plants are planned in Nador, Tangier and Rabat, the latter in partnership with French utility Veolia, as well as in Tantan, where the government is considering a port dedicated to exporting green hydrogen and ammonia. Morocco currently operates 17 desalination plants producing 345 million m³ annually. Four additional facilities with a combined capacity of 540 million m³ are under construction and expected to be completed by 2027, including a major new plant in Casablanca. Baraka emphasized that «all new desalination plants will be powered by renewable energy». To counter evaporation in dams, estimated to cause the loss of 30% of Morocco's surface water, the country has begun installing floating solar panels, starting with a pilot site near Tangier. «This experiment will be expanded to dams in the south and mountain regions», the minister added.
