PowerChina to build $4 billion seawater desalination plant in Iraq
The new desalination plant will be constructed in collaboration with an Iraqi business, according to Reuters.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, launched the project, which will have a daily capacity of one million cubic meters and is expected to begin commercial activities in June 2028.
PowerChina is a civil engineering construction company based in Beijing. The company works on infrastructure, energy, and hydropower projects all over the world.
The project is part of the Iraqi government's attempts to alleviate chronic water shortages in the southern part of the country.
The initiative additionally involves the development of a 300-megawatt power plant to provide electricity to the new desalination plant.
The Iraqi government revealed earlier in July that it is preparing to construct four new desalination plants in Basra as part of a strategy to enhance non-conventional water supplies.
The plan involves the construction of the Shatt al-Arab desalination plant with a capacity of 5,000 cubic meters per hour, the Al-Faw and Al-Siba desalination plants with a capacity of 3,000 cubic meters per hour, the Abu Flous desalination plant with a capacity of 3,000 cubic meters per hour, and the Safwan desalination plant with a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters per hour.
According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Iraqi government has also declared plans to construct wastewater treatment plants, notably in the southern provinces.
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