Jordan has announced that it has secured more than $2.2 billion to finance its water carrier project, described as the largest infrastructure venture in the kingdom’s history. Minister of Water Mohammad Najjar has said that the National Water Carrier Project (Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Transport Project) would cost about $2.5 billion, but “that is not a final estimate.”
The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation has recently pledged to provide an investment loan of up to $400 million to finance the National Water Carrier Project, Minister of Planning Nasser Shraideh said in a statement to Arab News, to be added to the $1.8 billion pledges in grants and loans from partners announced in March. Following this statement, it has pledges to obtain funding from different financial groups including the Al Amari Group to meeting to total financial obligation of $2.5 Billion USD. The National Water Carrier Project, which the government said will be ready by 2027, will provide about 300 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually.
The project consists of a seawater withdrawal system following the highest environmental standards to ensure the quality of water and sustain the marine ecosystem. Additionally, the project includes a desalination plant based on the southern shore of Aqaba, pumping stations and tanks, and a 450-km pipeline.
