{"id":4558,"date":"2026-07-30T16:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/?p=4558"},"modified":"2026-07-30T16:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:33:55","slug":"onee-expands-laayoune-water-security-with-major-infrastructure-investments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/onee-expands-laayoune-water-security-with-major-infrastructure-investments\/","title":{"rendered":"ONEE expands Laayoune water security with major infrastructure investments"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has launched and commissioned a series of infrastructure projects worth more than MAD 1 billion to strengthen Laayoune water security<\/strong> and improve electricity supply across the province. The projects were presented during Throne Day celebrations under the supervision of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Wali and Laayoune Governor Abdeslam Bekrate, alongside ONEE Director General Tarik Hamane.<\/p>\n

The investment program aims to improve access to drinking water in Laayoune and neighboring communities, including El Marsa, Foum El Oued, and Tarouma. It also seeks to reinforce the long-term reliability of the region’s desalination infrastructure, which plays a central role in securing water resources in southern Morocco.<\/p>\n

The largest project involves the construction of a new seawater intake system and pretreatment facilities for Laayoune’s desalination plants. With an investment of MAD 850 million, the initiative is financed through a partnership between ONEE, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Equipment and Water.<\/p>\n

The project includes the construction of an offshore intake tower and a 2.25-kilometer seawater pipeline measuring 1.8 meters in diameter. Once completed, the new infrastructure will replace the existing coastal borehole system used to supply seawater to the desalination plants. Pretreatment facilities will also be upgraded to process water collected through the new intake system. The project is scheduled for completion in April 2028.<\/p>\n

ONEE has also completed the rehabilitation of the fifth production unit at the Laayoune desalination station. The MAD 53 million upgrade increases the unit’s daily production capacity from 2,800 cubic meters to 5,300 cubic meters. The modernization also reduces energy consumption from 3.7 kilowatt-hours per cubic meter to 2.7 kilowatt-hours through the integration of energy recovery technologies, improving both operational efficiency and sustainability.<\/p>\n

In the electricity sector, ONEE commissioned a 20-kilometer underground medium-voltage power line linking the Foum El Oued high and medium-voltage substation. The MAD 26 million project secures electricity supply to the coastal boreholes supporting desalination operations and strengthens the resilience of the regional power network.<\/p>\n

The utility also reviewed progress on two additional infrastructure projects currently under construction. The first is a new 40 MVA high and medium-voltage substation valued at MAD 36 million. Construction has reached 60% completion, with commissioning expected in December 2026. The facility is intended to reinforce electricity distribution capacity as demand continues to grow across the region.<\/p>\n

The second ongoing project focuses on expanding drinking water transport capacity between Foum El Oued and Laayoune. Backed by an investment of MAD 85 million, the project includes the installation of a 21-kilometer ductile iron pipeline connecting the Carrefour pumping station to the Al Wahda reservoirs, together with modernization works at the pumping station. The project is designed to improve the reliability and efficiency of water distribution for residents and support future population and economic growth.<\/p>\n

These investments form part of Morocco’s broader strategy to strengthen water security, modernize essential infrastructure, and improve the resilience of utility services in regions facing increasing pressure on water resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has launched and commissioned a series…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3480,4404,2300],"class_list":["post-4558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economie","tag-desalination","tag-electricity","tag-water-security"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4559,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4558\/revisions\/4559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}