Morocco launches longest desalinated water pipeline to power world's largest phosphate mine

Business Insider

2 days ago

Morocco has begun a groundbreaking water infrastructure project, the Jorf Lasfar-Khouringa (J2K) pipeline. The state-owned OCP Group unveiled the new 200-kilometer pipeline, which would transport desalinated water from the Atlantic coast to Khouribga, home to the world's largest phosphate mine.
Morocco initiated the Jorf Lasfar-Khouringa (J2K) pipeline to transport desalinated water over 200 kilometers.
The pipeline supports industrial activities in Khouribga, home to the largest phosphate mine globally.
Besides industry, the infrastructure provides clean drinking water and promotes agricultural initiatives.
The pipeline, operated by OCP Green Water (OGW), is a significant step toward Morocco's goal of achieving water independence and environmental sustainability.
"This makes it the first infrastructure of its kind in Morocco capable of transporting desalinated water over such a long distance," OCP noted.
This project immediately tackles the country's rising water crisis, which has seized the area since 2018, while also fulfilling a national need to expand non-conventional water sources.
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'We started this in 2008. By 2015, we used to have the biggest desalination platform in Morocco, producing 25 million cubic metres per year,' Hanane Mourchid, the Member of the Strategic Committee and Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer at OCP Group said during an interview with Morocco World News (MWN),
According to the company, the pipeline, which has an annual capacity of 80 million cubic meters, supplies clean drinking water to the whole city of Khouribga in addition to supporting mining activities.
The J2K pipeline connects the Jorf Lasfar desalination facility on the Atlantic coast with the phosphate-rich area of Khouribga, as reported by Morocco World News.
It has 187 kilometers of 1,300-millimeter-diameter pipes and 16 kilometers of 600-millimeter sections.
The pipeline, powered by high-capacity pumping stations capable of transporting 25,000 cubic meters of water per hour, is Morocco's first to deliver desalinated water over such a long distance.
The project's benefits extend beyond industrial supplies. During its building period, it generated around one million man-days of labor, an average of 1,300 jobs per day for two years, with 85% of the workers employed locally.
OCP achieved complete water autonomy at its Benguerir site, due to an innovative reuse technology that flows treated wastewater from Marrakech's treatment facility.
This feat, which occurred on June 15, 2025, has helped the corporation fulfill its objective of 100% non-conventional water consumption two years earlier than its initial 2027 aim.
Importantly, the J2K pipeline is conceived with a larger perspective. In addition to powering phosphate mining activities, it will offer clean drinking water to Khouribga and surrounding towns.
Already, OCP Green Water has secured water supplies in Safi, El Jadida, and southern Casablanca.
The pipeline is also intended to promote high-value agricultural initiatives, therefore promoting food security and sustainable rural development.