OCP Group is undergoing a major shift in its role in Morocco’s water economy. Initially designed to secure water supplies for its mining and industrial operations, its Water program is now evolving into a major infrastructure portfolio combining desalination, wastewater reuse, long-distance water transport and renewable-energy-powered production.
The creation in 2022 of OCP Green Water (OGW), wholly owned by OCP, marked the starting point of this transformation. In 2023, the group increased OGW’s capital to MAD 4 billion, following a MAD 3 billion capital increase.
Billions of Dirhams Already Mobilized
The financial effort, however, predates OGW’s creation. OCP Group reports having invested MAD 3.5 billion in its Water program since 2008, covering the entire chain from mining operations to water treatment and transportation. The scale-up is now much more significant. In April 2025, OCP Green Water announced that it had secured MAD 6 billion, approximately USD 620 million, in financing, with the support of the CDG Group, to expand its water infrastructure. By 2030, OGW is targeting annual capacity of 630 million cubic meters of desalinated water, intended to cover OCP’s non-conventional water needs while also supplying neighboring urban and agricultural areas.
Autonomy Achieved Ahead of Schedule
The results show that the program is no longer at an experimental stage. In 2024, 66.9% of OCP’s water needs were already covered by non-conventional resources, rising to 97.9% for industrial platforms, according to the group’s reference document. OCP was then targeting 100% coverage in 2025. In July 2025, the group announced that it had achieved its non-conventional water autonomy target two years ahead of the original 2027 deadline.
J2K: The First Demonstration of Scale
The clearest symbol of this new strategy is the Jorf Lasfar–Khouribga pipeline, known as J2K. Commissioned in 2025, this infrastructure stretches for more than 200 kilometers and transports desalinated water from the Jorf Lasfar platform to the Khouribga phosphate basin. Its capacity reaches 80 million cubic meters per year. The economic significance of the project is considerable: the objective is no longer simply to produce water along the coast, but to establish infrastructure capable of transporting it over long distances to an industrial and mining hub located deep inside the country.
Infrastructure Serving Industry and Cities
J2K also illustrates the new territorial role of OCP’s water infrastructure. Since 2022, OCP Green Water has contributed to drinking-water supplies for Safi, El Jadida and southern Casablanca. Khouribga is also expected to benefit from desalinated water transported through the pipeline, alongside water supplied for mining operations. The 2026 reference document further indicates that OGW’s portfolio includes desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities designed to secure industrial requirements while contributing to drinking-water supplies for local communities.
610 Million Cubic Meters: The Next Milestone
The program is now entering a new expansion phase. OCP Green Water had installed capacity of 320 million cubic meters in 2025 and announced plans to increase capacity to approximately 610 million cubic meters by 2027. This expansion is intended to support OCP’s new mining and industrial facilities while extending drinking-water supplies to additional Moroccan cities, including Marrakech.
The 2026 AMMC reference document, meanwhile, refers to a target of 560 million cubic meters of total desalination capacity by the end of 2027, while OGW’s broader trajectory targets 630 million cubic meters per year by 2030. These figures correspond to different scopes and time horizons and should therefore be understood as successive stages of an expanding program.
Two New Subsidiaries to Industrialize the Model
The creation announced in August 2026 of two new subsidiaries specializing in desalination and water transportation represents another major step. They are intended to structure OCP’s water activities around two major geographic areas and professionalize the management of related assets. According to the announced project data, the targeted capacities are 215 million cubic meters for the northern zone and 195 million cubic meters for the central zone, representing a combined 410 million cubic meters per year.
The establishment of dedicated legal entities also reflects a broader governance objective, including greater financial transparency, more efficient asset management and the ability to develop partnerships.
Water Becomes an Industrial Asset
This evolution represents a fundamental shift in OCP’s strategy. Water is no longer simply a resource consumed by mines and chemical production platforms; it is becoming an industrial production infrastructure that must be secured and expanded.
In a country facing persistent water stress, reliable access to water directly affects the ability to maintain existing operations and launch new industrial investments. Desalination therefore allows OCP to progressively decouple its industrial growth from the availability of conventional freshwater resources.
Linking Water and Energy
The model also relies on a specific energy equation. OCP Green Water states that its systems are powered by 100% green energy, bringing together two of Morocco’s major transition challenges: water security and decarbonization.
This approach is particularly strategic for desalination, where energy costs are a key determinant of competitiveness. OCP is also developing a research ecosystem involving the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, JESA, INNOVX and international partners, with research focused on energy efficiency, water treatment and reuse.
Reuse Complements Desalination
OCP’s strategy is not based exclusively on seawater desalination. Wastewater reuse is another key pillar. The group reports having exceeded 10 million cubic meters per year of treated wastewater reused for industrial purposes, notably through facilities in Khouribga, Benguerir and Youssoufia.
In 2024, new facilities strengthened this system, particularly in Safi, Khouribga, Kasba Tadla and Beni Mellal. The objective is to reduce pressure on conventional water resources while developing a more circular water economy.
A Model Extending Beyond OCP
The most important issue is now territorial. Infrastructure initially developed by OCP to secure its own water requirements can simultaneously contribute to supplying populations, cities and, potentially, agricultural users.
The model therefore brings together industrial policy, water security, the energy transition and territorial development. This convergence gives OCP’s water investments a significance far beyond that of a conventional industrial program.
Towards a New Strategic Moroccan Asset
OCP is not becoming Morocco’s national water operator in an institutional sense. The sector remains structured around public operators, regional multiservice companies and the competent authorities.
However, OCP is clearly emerging as a major industrial producer of non-conventional water and a developer of large-scale water infrastructure.
The transition from MAD 3.5 billion invested in the Water program since 2008, to a structure supported by a MAD 4 billion capital base, followed by MAD 6 billion in financing secured in 2025, illustrates the acceleration of this strategy.
The Real Challenge: Securing Growth
Behind the desalination figures lies a much broader economic question: how can industrial growth be secured in a country where water is increasingly becoming a production constraint?
OCP’s response is based on diversifying water sources, investing in infrastructure, wastewater reuse, desalination and renewable energy.
With J2K, future pipelines toward Gantour and Marrakech, additional desalination capacity and new financing, the group is gradually building a system in which water is no longer merely a production input, but a strategic asset capable of securing industry and strengthening the resilience of territories.
This is where the real change of scale lies: OCP has moved from seeking water autonomy for its own operations to building an industrial water model capable of contributing to Morocco’s broader water-sovereignty strategy.
