Suez Canal Economic Zone has US $8bn worth of projects planned until 2030

The new Suez Canal Economic Zone has a range of investments planned to create the necessary infrastructure required to attract potential investors, according to Egyptian oñcials.

The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone is planning to increase water desalination capacity in the South zone to 250,000 cubic metres (m3) of water per day, which will require a number of new water treatment and desalination plants to be built.

The first plant, providing 20,000m3/day is due to complete in 2020 and a second, much larger plant is planned that will produce 130,0000m3/ day.

An additional 300MW of electricity-generating capacity set to be delivered by 2025, with another 543MW by 2030.

This will provide the infrastructure needed to grow the SCZone’s primary industries: petrochemicals, construction, textile, transport, logistics and pharmaceuticals.

In addition, DP World is building a US $550-million container port and container yard.

In the North side of SCZone, meanwhile, General Baraya said that a joint Egyptian-Russian company will be set up in April to operate and manage a 5.25 square kilometre US $7 billion Russian Industrial Zone. It will be built out in three phases over 13 years.

He said that a new terminal at West Port Said is to be built at a cost of 200 million Egyptian ($11.6 million), and that it had “already signed several contracts” with foreign investors.

“Mercedes will be one of the international companies that will be launched from the west port of Port Said (with) a new logistics centre... and there are negotiations with major, international companies to work in the east port,” he said.

A new roll-on, roll-off facility with a 600m quay wall will be built to support the large vehicle platform site for an alliance between carmaker Toyota, Japanese shipping line NYK and French logistics firm Bolloré.