Jordan signed a contract to establish the Aqaba-Amman water desalination and transportation project (National Carrier Project) with an investor alliance led by Meridiam and Suez.
The project aims to desalinate 300 million cubic meters of seawater annually from the Gulf of Aqaba and find sustainable solutions to water shortages, as part of an economic modernization plan adopted by the Kingdom.
Today, Sunday, at the Prime Minister’s Office, Jordanian Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan witnessed the signing of the project contract between the government, represented by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and the investor alliance led by Meridiam and Suez.
The Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation, Raed Abu Al-Saud, and the Director of Meridiam in Jordan, Jad Haribi, signed the agreement, representing the investor alliance led by Meridiam and Suez.
Project mechanism
Abu Al-Saud said that the project is the largest infrastructure project ever built in Jordan, as it includes an advanced seawater extraction system on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, and the establishment of an advanced desalination facility based on reverse osmosis technology, which is a technical process for purifying and treating seawater and converting salty water into Potable water, and a water transportation system extending approximately 450 kilometers to reach Amman, in addition to high-capacity pumping stations and renewable energy components.
Through the project, Jordan seeks to secure 300 million cubic meters annually for most regions of the Kingdom and improve water supplies for most regions, indicating that the project will rely partly on renewable energy in implementation of Jordan’s goal to generate 31% of electricity from renewable energy sources by the year.
According to Abu Al-Saud, the project will be established in partnership between the public and private sectors through the (build, operate, then transfer of ownership (BOT) system).
The role of the coalition
The Meridiam and Suez consortium will assume responsibility for financing, designing, building, operating and maintaining the system over the concession period, which includes the construction phase and 26 years of operation. Upon the end of the concession period, ownership of the project will return to the entire Ministry of Water and Irrigation as a Jordanian national property.
It is expected that the project’s water production will satisfy the drinking water needs of about 4 million people annually. The project is one of the sustainable initiatives aimed at reducing pressure on ground and surface water resources in Jordan, which contributes to recharging naturally depleted water basins and ensuring the provision of reliable water. In most regions of Jordan.
The project received support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
