OCP Green Water Puts Morocco on the Path to Water Sovereignty: Launch of a Massive Pipeline Between Jorf Lasfar and Khouribga
OCP Green Water, the water division of the OCP Group specializing in the management of unconventional resources, announced the operational launch of a pipeline transporting desalinated water from Jorf Lasfar to the mining site in Khouribga. This initiative marks a strategic shift towards achieving water sovereignty for the kingdom.
Stretching over 203 kilometers, this massive project will transport up to 80 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually to meet the needs of the industrial complex in Khouribga, which houses the world’s largest phosphate mine. It will also support the city’s drinking water supply and contribute to the irrigation of adjacent agricultural lands.
Ahmed Zniab, General Director of OCP Green Water, confirmed that this project represents an investment of 5 billion dirhams and will reduce reliance on surface water resources by up to 80%, minimizing the consumption of dam water.
According to Hanan Marchid, Director of Sustainable Development and Innovation at the group, this achievement is a culmination of a strategy initiated in 2022 to achieve self-sufficiency in unconventional water resources by 2027. She added that this goal was actually reached two years ahead of schedule, thanks to coordinated efforts in infrastructure, innovation, and energy transition.
With a total capacity of 320 million cubic meters by 2025, OCP Green Water currently supplies water to cities such as Safi, El Jadida, and southern Casablanca, with Khouribga set to join the network. This capacity will rise to 610 million cubic meters by 2027, allowing for expansion to new cities including Marrakech.
Socially, the project generated over one million man-days of work during the construction phase, 85% of which benefited the local workforce, in addition to providing 100 permanent jobs during the operational phase.
The project relies entirely on renewable energy sources, aligning with the group’s environmental focus, in partnership with leading academic and industrial stakeholders, including Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, INNOVX, and JESA.
This project represents a model for what the OCP Group aims for in sustainable and innovative water resource management, within a national vision to achieve water sovereignty and enhance the kingdom’s environmental and economic security.
