Work Starts at Major Seawater Desalination Project in Basra

The Prime Minister's Office has laid the foundation stone for Iraq's largest seawater desalination project, located near the Grand Faw Port in Basra, with a total capacity of 1 million cubic metres per day.

Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani described the project as a long-term and fundamental solution to Iraq's chronic water shortages, caused by declining rainfall and reduced flows in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. He said desalination represents a permanent alternative for providing clean drinking water to the people of Basra.

Key highlights from the Prime Minister's remarks include:

The project had been delayed by administrative transfers between ministries but has now been fully transferred to Basra Governorate for effective implementation;
It is a top priority for the federal government's public services agenda;
It is being implemented by Al-Rida Group and China's Power China, a company with advanced technological expertise;
Interim desalination plants will be installed around Basra during the main project's construction phase;
The federal government is committed to supplying resources to ensure success, create jobs, and promote economic stability.

The desalination plant is expected to benefit more than 4 million residents. It comprises three parallel desalination lines, each with a capacity of 335,000 m³/day, with future expansion potential. It includes a reverse osmosis (RO) treatment plant, 12 storage reservoirs with a combined capacity of 1 million m³, a 240-km pipeline network connecting nine distribution stations across the governorate, and a dedicated 300 MW power plant.

The project is also expected to create around 3,500 jobs for locals.