EBRD funds $30m wastewater treatment project in Jordan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has extended a $30 million (€28.5 million) financing package to Jordan’s Water Authority (WAJ) for a new wastewater treatment plant in West Irbid.

The package includes a $19 million (€18 million) EBRD sovereign loan, an $8 million (€7.2 million) UK-funded investment grant under the High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action (HIPCA), and a €2.75 million EU grant from the Neighbourhood Investment Platform.

The plant, located in Jordan’s second-largest city, will provide sanitation services to up to 200,000 people by 2045, connecting surrounding towns for the first time. It will treat 12,000 cubic metres of wastewater daily, supporting sustainable water management and reusing treated water for agriculture.

The project, complementing a wastewater network funded by EBRD since 2018, addresses Jordan’s critical water scarcity amid rapid population growth and refugee inflows.

Officials from the EBRD, EU, UK, and Jordan emphasised the initiative’s significance in improving health, environmental conditions, and livelihoods in the region.

Since 2012, the EBRD has invested over €2.2 billion in Jordan across 74 projects, enhancing infrastructure and supporting economic development.

Attribution: EBRD

Subediting: M. S. Salama