The ongoing Sfax Sea Water Desalination Plant project in Tunisia is set to get a US$ 295M+ boost in form of a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency that delivers the most Official Development Assistance to developing countries in place of the government of Japan.

This loan, which is repayable in a period of 25 years with a 7-year grace period, is subject to a financing agreement signed recently between Shimizu Shinsuke, the Japanese ambassador to Tunisia, Dr. Akissa Bahri, the Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries in Tunisia.

Also present in the signing ceremony were Mosbah Helali, the President and CEO of the National Company for the Exploitation and Distribution of Water (Sonede), and Shinohara Shunei, the resident representative of JICA in the North African country.

Project overview

The Sfax Sea Water Desalination Plant project is part of the second phase of the Tunisia Industrial Areas Remediation Programme that aims to collect and treat wastewater discharged by plants to prevent it from being discharged into wetlands and Mediterranean coasts.

The project entails the construction of a desalination plant in the locality of Gargour, which is located approximately 20 km from the city of Sfax. The plant will have the capacity to treat 100,000 m³ of water per day, which will be stored in a reservoir.

It also includes the construction of a pumping station and the laying of pipelines to bring drinking water to the city of Sfax. Sonede intends to double the capacity of the plant from the planned 100,000 m³ to 200,000 m³ of water per day in the future.