# Somaliland desalination pilot wins awards, post-2020 status unclear

> Phaesun and partners won two awards for a solar desalination system in Beyo Gulan, but no evidence shows operational status after the REvivED Water project…

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: water-supply, drainage
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/somaliland-desalination-awards-status-unclear

## Key points

- Somaliland Standard reported on 2020-07-17 that Phaesun and partners won the Energy Globe Award and The smarter E Award 2020 for a solar-powered desalination system in Beyo Gulan, Somaliland.
- The REvivED Water project, which developed the electrodialysis-based system, was officially due to end in August 2020, but the report does not establish what happened to the Beyo Gulan plant after that date.
- The report gives no information on the project's cost, funding, contract value, or post-2020 operational status.

On 17 July 2020, Somaliland Standard reported that German-based solar company Phaesun had won the Energy Globe Award and The smarter E Award 2020 for installing a solar-powered water desalination system in the village of Beyo Gulan in the desert of Somaliland.

According to the report, the system was developed under the REvivED Water Innovation and Development Project, in which Phaesun and other partners used electrodialysis technology. In 2018, Phaesun installed the first of eight pilot plants in Beyo Gulan, with the remaining seven installed across Africa and Asia.

The Somaliland Standard report, dated 2020-07-17, does not establish what has happened to the Beyo Gulan desalination plant since the official term of the REvivED Water project ended in August 2020. No post-2020 information is available in the source regarding whether the plant remains operational, its daily output, or any long-term community outcomes.

The report also provides no figures for the project's cost, funding amount, or contract value. It notes only the stated aim of the project: to develop manually manufactured desalination plants to series production readiness so they can be sold at marketable prices and provide clean drinking water in regions with weak infrastructure in developing countries.

The Energy Globe Award jury, as reported by Somaliland Standard, emphasized the lighthouse character of the Beyo Gulan project, which focuses on saline groundwater resources. Kilian Reichert, moderator of The smarter E award ceremony, said the project illustrates that solar energy can provide not only electricity but also water far from any infrastructure. Somaliland Standard describes the Energy Globe Award as the world's most important environmental prize.

> **Note:** The current status of the Beyo Gulan desalination plant, its funding, and the fate of the other seven pilot plants after August 2020 are not covered by the Somaliland Standard report.

## Questions

### Did the Beyo Gulan desalination plant continue operating after August 2020?

The Somaliland Standard report of 2020-07-17 does not provide information on the plant's operational status after the REvivED Water project's official term ended in August 2020.

### Who were the partners and funders of the REvivED Water project?

The report identifies Phaesun as a partner but does not name the other partners or disclose any funding details.

## Sources

- [Water desalination projects in Somaliland](https://somalilandstandard.com/water-desalination-projects-in-somaliland/) — Somaliland Standard, 2020-07-17