Energy Recovery to power Morocco's water security with $27.5 million desalination deal

American manufacturer of energy recovery devices for water and CO₂ refrigeration industries Energy Recovery announced on Thursday that it has signed contracts valued at $27.5 million to supply pressure exchangers for seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination projects in Morocco. These contracts, previously outlined in the company's financial guidance, are expected to be fulfilled by the end of 2024, reads a press release by the company.

North Africa, including Morocco, is experiencing a growing demand for desalination due to severe water shortages. The country has been grappling with a prolonged drought, with reservoir levels plummeting to 25% of capacity earlier this year. As part of its strategy to address this crisis, Morocco aims to produce half of its drinking water through desalination by 2030.

These new projects, capable of generating over one million cubic meters of potable water daily, will serve more than 600,000 Moroccans. Additionally, over half of the desalinated water will be allocated to agriculture.

«Desalination is the only drought-proof source of water, and it is vital that arid regions around the world such as North Africa secure access to freshwater by investing in a diversified portfolio of water treatment technologies including energy-efficient SWRO», said Rodney Clemente, Energy Recovery Senior Vice President of Water.

Clemente said that the company's pressure exchangers, which reduce energy consumption by up to 60%, are key to the sustainability of these projects. Once operational, these desalination plants are expected to prevent the emission of over 475,000 tons of carbon annually.