Egypt presented plans to expand desalination and wastewater reuse, strengthen utility regulation and improve existing infrastructure at the fifth International Water, Waste & Infrastructure Exhibition and Conference on 31 October 2026, according to Fast Company Middle East. The government has invested more than $11.3 billion over the past 12 years in drinking-water, sanitation and recycling infrastructure.
Key takeaways
- Egypt’s operational seawater desalination capacity stood at approximately 2.1 million cubic meters per day in 2026, while the government target is 10 million cubic meters per day by 2050. Fast Company Middle East
- The country has invested more than $11.3 billion over the past 12 years in drinking water, sanitation and recycling infrastructure. Fast Company Middle East
- Officials and industry participants discussed treating wastewater for uses that do not require drinking-quality water, including irrigation of non-fruit-bearing trees. Fast Company Middle East
- Planned regulatory measures include stronger supervision of service providers, clearer performance and service-quality indicators, and improved mechanisms for handling consumer complaints. Fast Company Middle East
Wastewater reuse moves into a broader capacity strategy
Egypt’s water sector faces estimated annual deficits of 7 billion to 20 billion cubic meters, while the Nile supplies more than 98% of the country’s renewable freshwater. Annual per-capita water availability has fallen to 473–560 cubic meters, below the internationally recognized water-poverty threshold of 1,000 cubic meters. Fast Company Middle East
The conference discussion placed wastewater reuse alongside desalination and network efficiency as part of the response. Dr. Shimaa Abdelrahman, senior planning and development engineer at Alexandria Water Company, said, “There is no doubt that desalination and recycling are the paths the state is taking right now. This is the solution to bridge this gap; we have no other solution.” Fast Company Middle East
Reuse does not automatically create a usable supply: water companies must ensure that reused water meets the quality standards for its intended purpose and that treatment and disposal practices comply with environmental regulations. Fast Company Middle East
Operations, regulation and local manufacturing gain attention
Ahmed Omran, deputy minister of housing for utilities, said the state is adopting an integrated strategy centered on operational and maintenance efficiency, maximizing existing investments, increasing private-sector participation and localizing equipment manufacturing for utility projects. Fast Company Middle East
Mohamed Hassan Mostafa, chairman of the Egyptian Water and Wastewater Regulatory Agency, discussed stronger supervision, performance and service-quality indicators, and improved complaint-handling mechanisms. Former Minister of Water and Wastewater Utilities Abdel-Qawi Khalifa said the next phase must focus on improving existing assets and developing operations and maintenance systems to ensure service sustainability. Fast Company Middle East
International cooperation was also presented as a route to technical capability and local industry development. Former Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said Egypt could become a regional hub for drinking-water and wastewater equipment and called for moving from imported equipment and technology toward local manufacturing and knowledge transfer. Fast Company Middle East
Specification read
The reported desalination scale is 2.1 million cubic meters per day, equivalent to 2,100 MLD or 2,100,000 m³/day; the 2050 target is 10 million cubic meters per day, equivalent to 10,000 MLD or 10,000,000 m³/day. Fast Company Middle East The source did not report a specific wastewater-reuse plant flow, population equivalent, required effluent BOD or COD, or reuse train, so those inputs cannot be established from the available information. Fast Company Middle East
For industrial wastewater, the relevant treatment train typically runs from screening and primary treatment through biological treatment—such as A2/O, MBR membrane systems, MBBR, SBR or UASB—into tertiary treatment and disinfection, with DAF or ZLD added where the process and disposal route require it. The event bears directly on wastewater reuse because the source identifies reuse as a national supply pathway and requires compliance with standards appropriate to the intended end use. Fast Company Middle East
If your plant looks like an industrial facility with a defined m³/day flow, specified BOD/COD concentrations, a non-potable reuse destination and tightening discharge or reuse compliance, this is what it means for you: the plant specification must reserve treatment, disinfection, monitoring and downstream storage or conveyance for the receiving use, rather than treating wastewater reuse as a simple capacity increase. Operators can compare the biological stage through the MBR versus conventional activated-sludge comparison for chemical wastewater, and clarify ammonia-control requirements through the 2026 ammonia nitrogen removal methods comparison.
FAQ
What capacity is Egypt targeting for seawater desalination?
Egypt is targeting 10 million cubic meters per day, or 10,000 MLD, by 2050, compared with approximately 2.1 million cubic meters per day of operational capacity reported for 2026. Fast Company Middle East
How much wastewater-reuse capacity was reported?
The source reported that Egypt reuses an estimated 23.2 billion cubic meters of water annually, but it did not identify a corresponding treatment-plant flow, project allocation or procurement volume. Fast Company Middle East A buyer would therefore need a project-specific flow and reuse end-use specification before selecting equipment.
What will determine the cost of a wastewater-reuse plant?
The source did not report plant costs, and the available investment figure of more than $11.3 billion covers drinking water, sanitation and recycling infrastructure over the past 12 years rather than an individual reuse plant. Fast Company Middle East Equipment selection must therefore be scoped around the required flow, influent characteristics, effluent standard and disposal route.
How should a supplier be selected for an Egyptian reuse project?
Officials identified operational efficiency, maintainability, local equipment manufacturing, knowledge transfer and service quality as strategic priorities. Fast Company Middle East A buyer should ask each supplier to document process suitability, energy performance, local support, operator training and compliance with the intended reuse standard.
