Hicha seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant (Tunisia)

The Hicha desalination plant represents Lantania’s first contract in Tunisia. Located in the Tunisian town of Gabes, approximately 100 km north of Djerba, this plant will have the capacity to desalinate 7,500 m³ of water per day, expandable to 15,000 m³/day, which will be used to irrigate greenhouse crops.

The water will be obtained from the adjacent Mediterranean Sea and pumped to the desalination plant, where it will be processed through two stages of filtration and two stages of reverse osmosis, thus producing water suitable for Agro Care’s crops. The contract includes a 12-month operation and maintenance period.

This facility is part of Agro Care’s Hicha Joy agricultural expansion greenfield project, which aims to expand the existing crops in Desert Joy and to increase the production capacity of tomatoes in the region, with a total estimated investment of approximately 200 million euros.

Along with the construction of this desalination plant by Lantania, Hicha Joy’s infrastructure will include the construction of 12 state-of-the-art glass greenhouses, covering an area of 120 hectares for tomato cultivation, a warehouse, and a cogeneration plant to generate energy and CO₂.

The Dutch company Agro Care, with a presence in the Netherlands, France, Morocco and Tunisia, is one of the largest producers of cherry tomatoes in Europe. The company has a total cultivated area of 500 hectares. Desert Joy is the name of Agro Care’s subsidiary in Tunisia, a country where it has been present since 2012. Located in El Hamma, near the Sahara Desert, Desert Joy has an area of 40 hectares where cherry tomatoes, mini tomatoes on the vine and snack tomatoes of different colours are grown in state-of-the-art greenhouses.