New York – Thanks to its seawater desalination plant that runs on renewable energy, Agadir is at the forefront of the fight against water stress, a phenomenon that is worsening worldwide, mainly due to climate change, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Daily notes that Agadir ‘could hold the key to water stress in a warming world’, pointing out that the falling costs of renewable energy have made desalination more affordable, providing Morocco with a new source of water for drinking and irrigation.

“The Agadir plant is producing 275,000 cubic meters of water a day, with 150,000 cubic meters allocated for drinking water-enough to cover the basic daily needs of one million people-and the rest going to irrigation”, the paper specified, adding that this environment friendly benefits from an abundance of wind and sunlight.

With a total cost of 4.41 billion dirhams, including 2.35 billion for irrigation and 2.06 billion for drinking water, this hydraulic infrastructure located in the province of Chto
uka-Aït Baha, represents an innovative alternative to stem the water deficit and offer a new solution in terms of water resources.

The Wall Street Journal also notes that a similar station with a larger capacity is under construction in Casablanca, adding that in Morocco, power from renewable sources like wind and solar has grown, standing today at about 20%.

The media concludes by stating that the North African country is aiming for half of its power to come from renewable sites by 2030, according to the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse