Supply and demand estimations

Graph number (1) shows the preliminary estimations of the water level of Aden city supposing that the 43.6 million cubic meters hypothetical production can be maintained until 2020 and that the water rocky layer of the sandstone is capable of producing 9.5 million cubic meters in the years 2009-2015. After the year 2020, water will be extracted from all wells in sustainable amounts of 2 7.000.000 cubic meters per year while th e demand in 2025 will be 72.2cubic millimetres/year of desalinated water.

There is a need to execute a small to medium desalination project on the short term to respond to the increasing demand and so that Yemen benefits from the desalination technique and acquires knowledge and expertise in issues relating the establishment and operating of desalination plants. The water preliminary estimations as shown in the table indicate that the establishment of a desalination plant with a 20ml/day capacity will be immediately required to start production in 2009. The table also shows that there is a future demand for two desalination plants, the first in 2016 and the second in 2021 with the production capacity shown above (89ml/day).

The main requirements for the desalination plants locations are as follows

- Good source of unpolluted sea water

- The location should be far from possible oil sites.

- The location should be far from drainage systems.

- The location should be far from industrial and shipping areas.

- The location should have access to deep water (preferably 10m deep).

- The location should be where the resulting very salty water is prevented from circulating into the plant’s water passage.

Available electricity

- The location should be close to the distribution sources. 

  - Available land.

Taking into account the areas for future development, the plant should be located on the coast between Al Barika and the eastern coast from Khor Maksar to the province borders