Forty-five firms and entities have shown interest in serving as the master developer of the multimillion-dollar Jordan Red Sea Project (JRSP), projected to provide the Kingdom with 120 million cubic metres (mcm) of water annually by the year 2014.
The JRSP Company, the entity authorised by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to conduct Phases I and II of the project, invited firms to submit expression of interest (EOI) documents last month.
Project supervisor Hatem Taibi told The Jordan Times on Sunday that local and international firms and consortia requested EOI requirement documents, which describe the project and the prerequisites for submitting an EOI.
Upon receipt and review of the EOIs submitted, the company will initiate the statement of qualifications and interview phase of the JRSP master developer procurement process, according to the ministry’s website.
The $10 billion JRSP, to be implemented in five phases, aims at addressing the country’s severe water shortage by providing 120mcm of water per year in its first phase and expanding to 700mcm annually in later phases.
Construction on the project, which will be carried out on a build-operate-transfer basis, is expected to be completed within 25-30 years, water officials said previously, noting that private sector companies will carry out the project with the support of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
The first phase entails conveying water from the Red Sea through pipelines to a desalination facility that will be built in Aqaba. Water generated from the plant will be distributed to Aqaba and development projects in the area.
The brine from the desalination plant will be discharged into the Dead Sea to curb the decline in its water level.
In conjunction with the water conveyance and treatment infrastructure, the JRSP will include a comprehensive economic development programme, which entails the planning and construction of multiple residential and commercial areas, industrial centres and resorts
