Jordan, EBRD sign 30m-euro wastewater treatment plant financial agreement

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Sunday signed an agreement to finance a soft loan worth 30 million euros meant to cover part of the total value of the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Al Ghabawi region.

The total value of the project amounts to 60 million euros, including an EBRD loan of 30 million euros, in addition to an EU-grant of 30 million euros, to be signed later, according to a Planning Ministry statement. 

The loan agreement was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh and Regional Head of the Eastern Mediterranean region Philip ter Woort on behalf of the EBRD.

The two sides also signed an agreement related to the implementation of the project, which was also signed by Water Minister Mohammad Najjar.

The project is projected to serve more than one million people living in Amman and surrounding areas, as the new wastewater treatment plant to be built in Al Ghabawi with a capacity of some 22,500 cubic metres per day, will replace an existing facility in Ain Ghazal, according to the statement.  

The project is also expected to provide employment opportunities and certified training for about 200 young people, mainly in the fields of construction and facilities management. The new facility will minimise risks to the environment, the statement said.

Shraideh expressed appreciation for the EU and EBRD’s ongoing support for Jordan, highlighting the bank’s efforts to mitigate the impacts related to receiving Syrian refugees.

Highlighting the importance of the new project, Najjar said that the new plant in Al Ghabawi will be built in an uninhabited and accessible area. 

Woort expressed pride in supporting the Jordanian government, noting that besides serving the beneficiaries in Amman and Zarqa, the project is also meant to mitigate the environmental impact of the current reception facility in Ain Ghazal. The project also seeks to increase the resilience of refugee-hosting communities in Jordan that have been affected by the water crisis. 

EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou, during the ceremony, stressed the bloc’s keenness on offering support to implement further projects in various fields, especially the sustainability and management of water and energy resources, and to keep abreast of developments in this domain.

She also commended Jordan’s pivotal role in receiving large numbers of Syrian refugees, the statement added.