In June 2018, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported, citing Algeria Press Service, that Algeria's energy ministry was preparing tenders for two desalination plants. Each was to deliver 300,000 m³/day, at Zéralda near Algiers and at El Tarf, under BOT contracts led by Algerian Energy Company, owned by Sonatrach and Sonelgaz. Tenders were expected in July 2018. Since 2003 eleven of 13 planned plants totalling 2.31 million m³/day had been built, and the desalinated share of drinking water was to rise from 17 to 25 per cent.
The report showed that Algeria was steadily continuing its seawater desalination build-out at the time, again relying on operator models led by state energy companies.