Jordan is getting EUR 71 mn from the EBRD + EU for a wastewater treatment plant: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed an agreement with Jordan’s Planning and International Cooperation Ministry to channel a EUR 30 mn grant provided by the EU that is co-financed by a EUR 41.3 mn loan from the EBRD, according to a statement. The financing package will go towards the construction of a green wastewater treatment facility in Al Ghabawi, the statement notes.

The details: The wastewater treatment facility will treat wastewater from rural areas in Amman that are not connected to the capital’s sewage network, with a daily treatment capacity of 22.5k cubic meters, the statement notes. The new EBRD-backed facility will provide improved wastewater and sanitation services to the country’s northern municipalities, the EBRD says.

Waste-to-energy and composting potential? “The Al-Ghabawi wastewater project is not only a wastewater treatment facility; it will set an example on resources’ efficiency and combine the possibility to exploit sludge further in waste-to-energy, as well as the possibility for contributing to composting,” EU Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, noted in the statement.

SOUND SMART- Wastewater sludge resulting from sewage treatment has a composition that is similar to that of mud, and is rich in valuable organic matter such as nitrogen and phosphorus, rendering it an important fertilizer and soil improver, according to research by Europa. Significant amounts of energy are also embedded in the sludge, and can be used to generate biogas and mineral salts.

REMEMBER- Jordan is the world’s second most water-deficient country: Jordan — the world’s second most water-poor country — is keen on improving infrastructure-related issues to help shore up its water security. The influx of some 1.3 mn Syrian refugees into the country is further adding stress to the country’s water capacity, the statement notes.

And this is the latest in a string of water security agreements: The kingdom — represented by the Jordan Valley Authority — signed an agreement with USAID in December to combat water scarcity through a USD 10.45 mn upgrade of the King Abdullah Canal. That same month, Jordan signed a EUR 115 mn loan agreement with the German Development Bank to increase water efficiency in the Canal, and brought online a solar-powered water treatment plant that will help secure 11% of national water needs by 2025. Last November, the country inked an agreement with Israel to exchange domestically generated solar power for water from Israel, agreeing to export 600 MW for 200 mn cubic meters of desalinated water.

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