Sustainable Development of Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant

This case study details the financing and implementation of the Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant project in Egypt, highlighting the roles of development finance institutions (DFIs) and the national government in funding climate adaptation infrastructure.

• The Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant project has an estimated cost of USD 390 million, with the Government of Egypt providing USD 237 million (62% of the total cost) from the public budget. The remaining USD 150 million is provided as concessional debt from development finance institutions, specifically USD 100 million from the AfDB and USD 50 million from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF).
• The project aims to expand water supply and increase adaptive capacity through engineering services, institutional support, and the upgrading and expansion of wastewater infrastructure. The design, building, and operation of the plant are being handled by the Spanish company FCC Aqualia and the Egyptian contractor Orascom, with a planned completion date of late 2022.
• Accessing concessional debt from DFIs for adaptation projects requires robust climate data and analytics to conduct project climate risk assessments based on future scenarios, as per the IDFC-MDB Common Principles. Additionally, a strong sovereign credit rating helps reduce financing costs and diversify finance types, while a strong policy environment with national adaptation and investment plans facilitates the development of project pipelines.
• According to the Global Landscape of Climate Finance, Egypt is one of six countries—including Tunisia, Morocco, Rwanda, Botswana, and Gabon—that received more than 75% of their water sector adaptation finance from DFIs.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). Sustainable Development of Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/sustainable-development-of-abu-rawash-wastewater-treatment-plant-2/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Sustainable Development of Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/sustainable-development-of-abu-rawash-wastewater-treatment-plant-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Sustainable Development of Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant |date=16 September 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/sustainable-development-of-abu-rawash-wastewater-treatment-plant-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021sustainable, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Sustainable Development of Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/sustainable-development-of-abu-rawash-wastewater-treatment-plant-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }