In August 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported, citing SciDev.Net, that the desalination plant serving the Libyan port city of Tobruk had been shut down because it had run out of process chemicals. GDCOL (General Desalination Company of Libya) had warned of a halt in June; output dropped by one third in July and ceased at the month's end. Sidem had supplied the 40,000 m³/day multi-effect distillation (MED) plant turnkey in 2000. Missing funds for upkeep and chemicals were cited, and residents protested.
The report showed how heavily the water supply of an entire city could depend on consumables and ongoing maintenance at a single thermal desalination plant.