The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing Ridgewood for Water Desalination (RWD), a Hassan Allam Utilities company, with a senior loan of up to EGP 350 million (€6.4 million) to advance Egypt’s water security objectives via sustainable infrastructure. The funding will support the building of new small-scale desalination plants and the refurbishment of existing facilities on Egypt’s Red Sea and Mediterranean coastlines.
By delivering these assets, RWD will be able to offer dependable water services to important segments of Egypt’s economy, including tourism and industry, which do not currently have access to municipal water due to the country’s regulatory framework. The project will also strengthen operational and energy efficiency, while enabling the company to expand and broaden its activities. Egypt is experiencing severe water shortages, with an estimated annual shortfall of about 7 billion cubic metres. Its freshwater supply relies on the Nile River for roughly 97 per cent of available resources. Rising population, climate change and regional pressures have made the need for sustainable water provision even more urgent.
Increasing desalination output—supported by public-private partnerships and private investment—will help address this challenge and facilitate the integration of renewable energy, improving resilience and long-term sustainability. The upgraded central water stations and newly built standalone plants are expected to add desalination capacity of approximately 10,000 to 15,000 cubic metres per day. Ridgewood for Water Desalination is an Egypt-based firm established in 1999, supplying desalinated water to private-sector customers in coastal regions of Egypt.
Egypt is a founding EBRD member. Since the Bank began operating in the country in 2012, it has committed nearly €13.9 billion to 209 projects throughout the economy.
Source: EBRD
