AMMAN - The Kingdom's first desalination plant is expected to be operational by 2010, annually supplying the port city of Aqaba with 10 million cubic metres (mcm) of water, a senior Aqaba Water Company (AWC) official said on Monday.
The AWC signed an agreement yesterday with Bank Muscat to study the establishment of a desalination plant on Aqaba's southern coast to desalinate Red Sea water.
"The tender for carrying out the study was referred to several consultants led by Bank Muscat. The study is expected to be complete in April 2009 and will be followed by an agreement to establish the plant on a build, operate and transfer basis," AWC Director General Emad Zreikat told The Jordan Times yesterday.
The plant will start supplying current and future investments along the southern shore with water by the second half of 2010, Zreikat said, adding that the project's designs will also enable it to supply the central and northern shores if needed.
"Demand for water in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) has risen dramatically over the past two years due to investments and heavy construction. Therefore, finding an additional water source was a necessity," Zreikat said.
The plant also aims to serve as an additional water source in case of emergencies. In February 2006, Aqaba suffered a severe water shortage due to damage sustained by the main pipeline in flash floods. Water supplies to the port city were cut off for around 10 days as rehabilitation work on the damaged pipeline was hampered by stones and mud that had clogged parts of the water network, the company director said.
"We don't want this to happen again. Aqaba's main water pipeline passes through Wadi Al Tetum, which occasionally witnesses flash floods during the winter that damage the pipeline," Zreikat noted.
Meanwhile, Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud, who was also present at the signing, underscored the importance of the project, noting that it comes as part of the country's water strategy.
"This project is vital as it is the Kingdom's first experience in seawater desalination. The plant will also help ASEZ achieve self-sufficiency," Abu Saud said.
Once complete, the plant will also help reduce pressure on the Disi aquifer, the minister added.
ASEZ water consumption totals 15.5mcm annually and is expected to exceed 20mcm in the next few years due to area expansion and development, Zreikat said.
Zreikat said the company has also floated tenders to dig three new wells in the Disi aquifer.
"We must find new water sources until the plant is ready to supply Aqaba with the needed water. The wells are expected to be ready in four months and annually will generate 3-4mcm," he said.
The Disi aquifer will be the capital's main source of water in less than four years, as the $1 million Disi Water Conveyance Project was launched on Sunday.
The project is expected to supply Amman with 100mcm of water annually.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2008
