The regional climate's low precipitation called for the creation of a seawater desalination unit to supply Greater Agadir with drinking water and irrigate the fertile agricultural plain of Chtouka.

With a planned capacity of 400,000 m3 per day, the desalination unit ensures a sustainable water resource and supports large regional programs for tourist and industrial expansion. Located 55 km from Agadir, in the Douira locality of the territorial commune of Inchaden, this extensive project covers an area of 20 hectares, 300 m from the ocean coastline.

As a result of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and thanks to the mutualization of drinking water and irrigation components, this project is carried out under the joint delegating authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE).

For the implementation of the desalination unit, the Spanish group Abengoa was selected as the concessionaire and sole delegate. The operation will be simultaneously ensured by two separate companies, SEDA (Desalinated Water Company of Agadir) for drinking water and AEB (Aman El Baraka) for irrigation water.

The construction project of the Chtouka seawater desalination plant won the Best Public-Private Partnership award at the International Desalination Association (IDA) conference in October 2018 in Dubai.