Tunisia has inaugurated the Sidi Abdelhamid seawater desalination plant in the northeastern governorate of Sousse, a major project designed to strengthen water supply along the country’s eastern coast.
The plant has a production capacity of 50,000 cubic meters per day. With a total cost of 130.5 million dinars, or nearly €40 million, it is intended to serve approximately 3.1 million residents in Tunisia’s eastern coastal regions, extending as far as Cap Bon and the northern part of Sfax governorate.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Ezzedine Ben Sheikh. Abdelhamid Menja, CEO of the National Water Exploitation and Distribution Company (Sonede), told reporters that the plant operates 24 hours a day and produces drinking water that complies with Tunisian regulations and World Health Organization standards.
Key project details
According to Menja, the facility will help reduce water deficits in the governorates of Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia and Nabeul, as well as in northern Sfax. Its commissioning is expected to address past shortages and supply interruptions, which were worsened by reduced water supplies from the Nebhana dam. Last year, that reduction caused an estimated deficit of 600 to 700 liters per second, he said.
During the ceremony, Minister Ben Cheikh stressed the need to coordinate “national efforts to preserve water resources and develop sustainable solutions to water scarcity.” The use of desalination, he noted, must be accompanied “by an environmental impact assessment and an integrated strategy.”
Among complementary measures, the minister highlighted “the reuse of wastewater for the irrigation of compatible crops and the maintenance of the water distribution network.”
Project cost and funding
The project cost is divided into:
- 115 million dinars — about €34.6 million — for construction of the plant
- 11.7 million dinars — about €3.5 million — for connecting channels
- 2 million dinars — about €602,000 — for electrical works
- 2.6 million dinars — about €783,000 — for connections
Funding is provided by the Tunisian state budget. Testing and technical verification will continue after the plant is commissioned to ensure compliance with contractual specifications and required operating standards.
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