Libya's water desalination sector is facing a critical situation, with production significantly reduced due to various challenges. The country's National Water Security Strategy 2050 aims to address these issues, but its success depends on ensuring a stable water supply to citizens. The sector's revival is crucial, and the focus should be on restoring production from existing plants while ensuring their continuous operation.
A report on the current situation attributed the decline in water production to funding shortages, lack of spare parts and operational materials, and fluctuations in electricity and fuel supplies. Additionally, maintenance programs have been hindered, resulting in 2024 production levels reaching only 14% of the plants' design capacity. Despite these challenges, the report highlighted the availability of qualified Libyan operating cadres.
To address these challenges, experts stress the need for a comprehensive evaluation of existing plants to identify those that can be rehabilitated and prioritized for restoration. This approach would allow for a faster and more cost-effective solution, leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise. In some cases, replacing outdated equipment might be necessary, and a thorough assessment should be conducted to determine the most viable options.
The report also suggested exploring the possibility of integrating power and desalination plants, citing the experience of Gulf countries in operating large-scale systems with high reliability. However, any integration would require careful evaluation of operational factors and their impact on production. The use of natural gas and renewable energy sources could also be considered when feasible.
Technically, the possibility of implementing hybrid desalination plants could be explored, which would involve recovering additional water quantities through the treatment of reject brine from existing plants using technologies such as membrane distillation or forward and reverse osmosis. However, these applications would require field testing and evaluation of membrane cleaning and replacement, energy consumption, and costs.
To implement these plans, experts propose five practical recommendations based on a collaborative approach between plant operators, academic researchers, and civil society organizations. These recommendations include a comprehensive assessment of existing plants, model-based rehabilitation of selected units, energy audits, and the treatment of reject brine. Additionally, the use of treated wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes could help alleviate pressure on desalination plants.
The implementation of these priorities requires urgent and stable government funding to cover operational costs after rehabilitation. Transparency in reporting production, downtime, and costs is also essential. With these efforts, Libya's desalination plants can regain their functionality, and future investments can be directed towards sustainable service delivery. Key points include the need for a comprehensive assessment of existing plants, the importance of integrating power and desalination plants, and the potential for using hybrid desalination technologies.
