GE Announces Plans for Largest Desalination Plant in Africa

GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), joined the Algerian Government, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the Algerian Energy Company (AEC), in announcing plans to build Hamma Water Desalination SpA (Hamma) — Africa’s largest seawater desalination plant. Funded by GE (70%) and AEC (30%), Hamma will be the first private desalination reverse osmosis potable water project in Algeria. The project will also be the largest membrane desalination plant in Africa, as well as one of the largest desalination plants in the entire world. OPIC, which helps U.S. businesses invest in new and emerging overseas markets, also financed $200 million towards the project. The Hamma project will supply 25% of Algeria’s capital city’s population with drinking water. By supplying 200,000 cubic meters (53 million U.S. gallons) of potable water a day and reducing energy and overall costs, the build-own-operate project will lessen Algeria’s water scarcity issues. Currently, the people of Algeria are plagued with usable water challenges that range from drinking water shortages and irregular rainfall to aging infrastructure that can cause immense losses of water. Because of the scarcity of clean water, the residents of Algiers only receive water one out of every […]

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