Water Ministry finalises tender documents for National Water Carrier Project — Najjar

AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Wednesday issued the final request for proposal (RFP) of the National Water Carrier Project.

Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar highlighted that the documents have been sent to the five prequalified consortiums, according to a ministry statement.

The Aqaba-Amman desalination and water transport project is a strategic project and a top priority to provide the Kingdom's population of 11 million with drinking water, Najjar said, highlighting that the project will provide about 300 million cubic metres of desalinated water annually. 

He stressed that the project allows the ministry to implement its strategic plans to improve the “groundwater reality”, including addressing the problems of over-pumping from underground wells, their storage capacity, reducing water loss by raising the efficiency of networks, and improving water supply. 

The National Carrier Project includes an intake plant to be based on the southern shore of Aqaba, a desalination and pumping station in Aqaba, and a 450-kilometre pipe line.

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

The projects' main requirements focus on using clean energy, which complies with the government's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting drinking water costs.