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KarmWater Launches its First Solar Powered Water Desalination Station at Marsa Shagra

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KarmWater’s desalination plant at Marsa Shagra is the first in its region to incorporate solar power in its operations. Roughly 30% of its electricity comes from KarmSolar’s Marsa Alam Solar Grid, which was launched in 2022. The grid has been powering a string of resorts along the Red Sea coast where it has a license to distribute 10.9 MVA.

The plan is to have the desalination plant be 100% powered by solar energy in the upcoming decade. Our Water Purchase Agreements (WPAs) now compliment the Power Purchase Agreements(PPAs) that we offer to clients in the area, bringing us one step closer to our vision of becoming a vertically integrated multi utility company. Red Sea Diving Safari, the sole off-taker for this project, now enjoys a source of water that is 25% cheaper than what they had usually paid. The resort’s General Manager had this to say:

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"Following the success of working with KarmSolar for our electricity generation, we were very excited to be able to collaborate on a new water desalination station at Marsa Shagra.The water quality is consistently, significantly better than the previous station we were using while at the same time being economical and much more environmentally friendly. In a 24/7 operation in a remote location such as ours, reliability is very important, but so is protecting our natural resources. We are pleased to have found a partner who shares our vision and who can help us reduce our environmental impact while maintaining high service quality."

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Our Future Plans of Operation

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This pilot project of KarmWater has piqued the interest of clients in the region owing to the high quality of water produced and sold at a much lower price than their conventional tariff. Consequently, KarmWater is in the process of developing more desalination plants in the area. This is part of the overall vision to invest in infrastructure such as pipelines which will allow delivery of desalinated water directly to customers. The idea is to help create sustainable communities by ensuring access to clean, safe, and affordable water for all. This means exploring new ways of re-using brine, the byproduct of the desalination process. One potential application would be to separate the salt content and use it elsewhere. Our technical team is currently investigating how this process can be carried out in a cost competitive way.

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According to the Journal of Water Supply, some 55% of Egypt’s area has access to brackish water that can be desalinated. One can glimpse the potential of this service offering in a country such as Egypt which has always been geographically bound by the Nile River when it came to industrial and agricultural production, as well as community expansion. A benefit of water desalination in remote areas is that it can support economic development and growth. By providing a reliable source of fresh water, desalination plants can support agricultural production and tourism.

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