National Water Carrier Project sees progress on path to implementation — ministry

AMMAN — The National Water Carrier Project is witnessing "remarkable" progress at the technical and financial levels and in completing the procedures necessary for the project’s implementation, Water Ministry Secretary General Jihad Mahamid said on Tuesday.

During an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Mahamid said that the project will be conducted in partnership between the public and private sectors using a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, noting that five prequalified consortiums have been selected to present their bids.

The secretary general expects bids to be presented by the end of the year, followed by financial close and the completion of all other procedural requirements before the project begins.

He stressed that the desalination of the Red Sea is "the only safe and sustainable national source of water in Jordan able to compensate for the increasing demand for water".

Mahamid said that the project is part of the Royal directives and the government's Economic Priorities Programme (2021-2023), adding that there have been several meetings with international multilateral finance funds to discuss the project.

On March 16, the ministry sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the construction of the pipeline that will annually pump over 300 million cubic metres of desalinated seawater from Aqaba’s Red Sea port to Amman and other areas across the Kingdom.

By 2040, the project will pump water consistently, with a capital cost of $2.5 billion.

The National Carrier Project includes plans for an intake plant on Aqaba’s southern shore, a desalination and pumping station in Aqaba, and a 450km pipeline.

The ministry conducted the project's technical, financial and environmental studies through grants provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The project will focus on using clean energy in compliance with the government's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting the cost of potable water.