The Egyptian Gazette reported on 22 September 2011 that Egypt’s scientists have developed a solar-power based technology to reduce the cost of water desalination from LE 10 (US$ 1.67) to LE 4 ($0 67) per cubic metre.
The chairman of the Holding Company for Drinking Water & Sanitation, General Sayyed Nasr, reportedly confirmed that the new cheap technology will boost cultivation in Sinai and the Western Desert.
Nasr, who was an engineer in the Army, explained that the new technology mainly depends on solar cells. He was confident that Egyptian scientists would soon win international accolades for this.
“The new technology will revolutionise this industry globally,” he said. “Agriculture in Egypt will also witness breathtaking changes and developments.”
It was also disclosed that the scientists are now looking at ways to reduce the cost of water desalination even further, to only LE 2 (US$ 0.33)/m³.