Algeria’s richest Issad Rebrab’s Cevital taps European partner for Béjaïa project

Key Points

• Cevital partners with Spain’s Lantania to build a wastewater treatment plant at its Béjaïa industrial site, boosting sustainability and compliance.
• The facility, set to open in Q4 2025, will treat 75 m³/hour using MBBR technology and reduce sludge with a dewatering screw system.
• This move aligns with Cevital’s push for circular economy practices and modernization under Malik Rebrab’s leadership.

Cevital Group, an Algerian manufacturing conglomerate founded by the country’s richest man, Issad Rebrab, recently signed a contract with the Spanish company Lantania to build a wastewater treatment plant at its industrial complex in Béjaïa. Béjaïa is a Mediterranean port city on the Gulf of Béjaïa, and the site plays a crucial role in Cevital’s logistics operations.

Cevital expands with new wastewater plant

The complex’s location near the port offers clear advantages for import and export activities. Adding an on-site wastewater treatment plant is a practical step that helps the company stay productive, meet regulatory requirements, and reduce its environmental impact.

This new facility is part of Cevital’s effort to modernize its industrial operations. It will handle wastewater from sugar production using advanced biological and mechanical processes. Scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2025, the plant will use a moving bed biological reactor (MBBR), a reliable technology for treating water contaminated with organic material.

The system will also include a sludge dewatering screw to reduce the amount of waste that needs to be removed. Designed to treat 75 cubic meters of water per hour, the plant will meet the ongoing needs of the busy Béjaïa site.

Inside Cevital’s push for sustainability

Working with Lantania, a company experienced in water infrastructure, reflects Cevital’s commitment to bringing in outside expertise and meeting international standards. The new plant will help the group manage wastewater carefully and stay within environmental regulations for liquid discharges.

It also fits with Cevital’s focus on the circular economy and sustainable industrial practices. By cutting pollution at its source, the plant will help protect local water supplies while keeping production running smoothly at the sugar complex.

Family legacy drives Algerian giant

Founded in 1998 by Issad Rebrab, Cevital is now Algeria’s largest private company, with 26 subsidiaries across three continents. Its business covers many sectors including food processing, logistics, automotive distribution, real estate, household appliances, and energy.

Although Cevital is involved in a variety of industries, from food processing to mechanical engineering and home appliances, the industrial complex in Béjaïa represents just one part of the group’s broader ambition to become a global industrial leader. The company remains focused on building a competitive business capable of operating on the world stage.

Issad Rebrab, whose fortune is estimated at $3 billion, stepped down as CEO in 2022 and handed over leadership to his son Malik Rebrab, who brings experience from working at Xerox in Morocco. Under Malik’s guidance, the group plans to continue expanding and growing.

As Algeria’s biggest privately-owned company, Cevital runs one of the world’s largest sugar refineries, with a capacity of 2 million tons per year. It also owns European businesses, including the French home appliances maker Groupe Brandt and the Spanish aluminum company Alas Iberia.