The Erongo Region holds great potential for the expansion of productive economic activity as it pertains to waterintensive industries and remains a critical engine of growth. A binding constraint is the lack of a viable solution to increase the quantity of affordable water to the industrial and mining sector based in the outskirts of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. The Government will complete an initial feasibility study on a greenfield desalination plant in the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year. Commensurately, Government will also explore the potential of meeting part of the water needs through a possible public private partnership (PPP) with the operators of the existing desalination plant in the Erongo region. Feedback on this approach is expected in the first quarter of the 2021/22 financial year.