📋 Tender Overview
Project ID: 55198
Status: Exploratory
Location: Morocco
Business Sector: Municipal Infrastructure
Notice Type: State
Environmental Category: B
Approval Date: 19 Nov 2025
Disclosure date: 26 Aug 2025
Project Description
Provision of a sovereign loan of up to EUR 150 million to the Kingdom of Morocco to finance the construction of the continuity of main pipeline as well as the water distribution network aimed at irrigating 20,000 hectares in the Saiss plain (the "Saiss III" or the "Project").
The Project is the third and final phase of a staged programme to preserve the Saiss aquifer and promote sustainable water management within the Saiss plain which envisages an annual transfer of 90-120 million m3 surface water from the MDez dam to the plain for irrigation purposes.
As part of this programme, the Bank previously extended in 2017 a sovereign loan of EUR 120 million to finance a 45 km of the main transfer pipeline (The ''Saiss I''), OPID 48414. In 2020, the Bank extended a second sovereign loan of EUR 150 million, to finance the main distribution pipeline and network for irrigation of 10,000ha (The ''Saiss II''), OPID 51223.
Project Objectives
The key objective of the Project is to enable the partial switch from unsustainable groundwater abstraction from the Saiss aquifer to the use of more sustainable and climate resilient surface water resources from the M'Dez dam, which will mitigate the adverse impacts of the current and future water scarcity, help restore the Saiss aquifer and contribute to the to the climate resilience of the Saiss plain.
The Project will be supported by a complementary Technical Cooperation ("TC") package to ensure its effective implementation and to promote gender and economic inclusion.
Transition Impact
ETI score: 73
The transition impact of the project is expected to focus on promoting regional economic inclusion and increasing water resource use efficiency:
Economic inclusion: The project is expected to strengthen economic inclusion for local youth, while also adapting irrigation services and training to support women farmers.
Resources efficiency and climate resilience: The Project aims to contribute to climate resilience in the Saiss plain through enabling a switch to a more efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly water infrastructure in the face of an increased water stress due to climate change.
