Stained-glass illustration in blue glass of a robot and towers at the dawn of the infrastructure singularity

Sector guide 06 of 22 · Version 1.1

Water in Jordan

Turning seawater, sunlight and software into a secure supply for a dry country.

$6.7bn: forward investment in its own projects
29: projects in this guide
4: in or linked to Aqaba

The sector today

Water in Jordan

Jordan is one of the most water-scarce countries on earth. The National Water Strategy 2023 to 2040 puts renewable water at less than 61 cubic metres per person a year, and rising demand, falling groundwater and a changing climate make every drop count.

The country has answered with some of the boldest water projects in the region. The Disi conveyance has carried groundwater 325 kilometres to Amman under a private concession since 2013, and in April 2026 the government signed the final agreement for the Aqaba to Amman carrier, which will desalinate 300 million cubic metres of Red Sea water a year. Losses are falling too, with non-revenue water down to 41% nationwide.

The next phase joins new supply to smarter networks. Performance-based contracts now run whole utilities and districts, dams and canals are being rebuilt, and solar power pumps more of the water. This guide sets out where the sector stands, the projects in the Jordan PPP project register, and the opportunities it opens as infrastructure moves towards the singularity.

61 m³: Renewable water per person per year cited in the National Water Strategy 2023 to 2040, far below the 500 m³ line for absolute scarcity.
300 MCM: Seawater the Aqaba to Amman carrier will desalinate each year, about 40% of the kingdom's drinking water needs.
41%: Non-revenue water nationwide in August 2026, down 10.7 points from 2022, against a 2040 target of 25%.
450 km: Length of the carrier pipeline that will lift desalinated water from the Red Sea about 1,100 metres to Amman.

The singularity

Water is the test of the singularity

The infrastructure singularity is the point where roads, grids, ports and water networks become one connected, intelligent system, built by robotics, run by artificial intelligence and financed by tokenization. In a dry country, water is where that system proves its worth first.

Artificial intelligence: Finds leaks from pressure and flow data, predicts pipe bursts, schedules pumping when power is cheapest and balances supply between cities. Digital twins of whole networks let utilities test changes before they touch a pipe.
Robotics: Robots inspect pipelines from the inside, trenchless machines replace old mains without digging up streets, and automated plants clean membranes and change filters around the clock.
Tokenization: Desalination plants and network contracts pay steady, long-term revenue. Tokenized stakes let Jordanian savers and investors abroad own part of the assets that secure the country's water.
Energy: Every desalinated cubic metre is a product of electricity. Solar power with storage turns Jordan's sunlight into the main input for pumping and treating water.
Abundance: When seawater, sunlight and software are the inputs, water stops being a fixed limit and becomes a supply that can grow with the country.

Flagship projects

The projects that lead the sector

Awarded · Aqaba to Amman
Aqaba to Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance
A US$5.8 billion build-operate-transfer project led by Meridiam and Suez to desalinate 300 million cubic metres a year at Aqaba and pump it 450 kilometres to Amman, supplying about 40% of the kingdom's drinking water. The final agreement was signed on April 21, 2026, and water is due to flow from 2030.
Tendering · Southern Amman
Non-Revenue Water, South Amman
A performance-based contract of about 24 years to cut losses across 17 distribution zones serving about 1.4 million residents, from a validated baseline of 56%. Prequalification is complete and qualified bidders are next in line for the request for proposals.
Under way · Northern governorates
Yarmouk Water Company Management Contract
Veolia took over operation, maintenance, billing and customer service for the northern utility in May 2026 under a four-year contract, renewable for two more, with payment tied to service, efficiency and revenue results.
Pipeline · Mafraq
Mafraq Network Rehabilitation
A KfW-financed programme to rebuild Mafraq's networks and cut non-revenue water from 79% to 40% through performance-based contracts. A consultant joint venture appointed in October 2025 is designing the contracts and procuring contractors.
Under way · Deir Alla
Abu Al-Zighan Desalination Plant Upgrade
An EIB-financed design, build and operate contract with Desalia and Hussein Atiya Contracting to convert the brackish-well plant to reverse osmosis and raise output to 27,000 cubic metres a day, with ten years of operation. Completion is due in January 2028.
Pipeline · Wadi Nukheila
Nukheila Dam
A planned rainwater harvesting dam upstream of the Mujib Dam, whose terms of reference include a hydropower system between the two dams. The Jordan Valley Authority expects the complete designs this winter.

Every project

29 projects in Jordan’s pipeline

Values in US dollars; * estimated where no figure has been published. Rows in grey sit in another sector and connect to this one.

Project	Location	Stage	Value
Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination & Conveyance Project (AAWDCP)	Aqaba to Amman	Awarded	$5.8bn
Non-Revenue Water, South Amman	Southern and southeastern Amman	Tendering	$300m*
King Abdullah Canal Northern Rehabilitation	Northern Jordan Valley	Pipeline	$112m
Mafraq Network Rehabilitation (ROU Project)	Mafraq	Pipeline	$77m
Bani Kinana Water Systems Improvement	Bani Kinana district	Under way	$67m
Nukheila Dam	Wadi Nukheila	Pipeline	$62m*
Northern Al-Salt & Al Hizam Water Networks	Northern Al-Salt areas	Tendering	$58m*
Yarmouk Water Company Management Contract (Northern Governorates)	Irbid	Under way	$55m*
Abu Al-Zighan Desalination Plant Upgrade	Abu Al-Zighan	Under way	$37m
Irbid and Ramtha Water Network Rehabilitation (A2-C2)	Irbid and Ramtha	Under way	$30m
Fujaij Well Water Conveyance (Tafilah)	Fujaij well to Qadisiyah and Busaira, Ta	Pipeline	$16m
King Talal Dam Sedimentation Reduction	King Talal Dam upper catchment	Under way	$12m
Madaba Water Network Replacement	Madaba Governorate	Under way	$11m
Tafilah Water Network Modernisation	Tafilah city and surroundings	Under way	$10m
Rainwater Harvesting in Industrial Estates	Balqa, Madaba, Tafilah, Zarqa	Open opportunity	$10m*
Wadi Araba Small-Scale Water Harvesting Infrastructure	Wadi Araba, Aqaba Governorate	Pipeline	$0.2m
Disi-Mudawwara to Amman Water Conveyance	Disi aquifer to Amman	Delivered	$1bn
Aqaba Desalination Plant (existing Phase 1)	KEMAPCO site, Aqaba	Delivered	$80m*
Green Ammonia/Hydrogen Plant (United Energy Group, China)	Jordan	Pipeline	$1.2bn
Al Mujib Pumped-Storage Hydropower Dam	Wadi Al-Mujib	Tendering	$650m
Wadi Zarqa Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phase 1)	Wadi Zarqa River	Pipeline	$254m
Operation of Northern Wastewater Treatment Plants	Irbid	Pipeline	$211m*
Welspun-Perma-Pipe Steel Pipe Plant (Quweira)	Quweira Industrial Zone, ASEZA	Pipeline	$125m
Irbid Development Zone Infrastructure	Irbid Development Zone, Irbid	Under way	$23m
Greywater Reuse	Balqa	Open opportunity	$10m*
Stone-Cutting Slurry Reuse	Sahab Industrial City, Amman	Open opportunity	$10m*
North Rahma Irrigation Project (Operation & Management)	Rahma	Open opportunity	$9m*
Modern Irrigation Systems & Alternative Energy	Balqa	Open opportunity	$9m*
As-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant (Phases 1 & 2)	As-Samra	Delivered	$374m*

AI, robotics and tokenization

What changes for Jordan's water sector

Artificial intelligence

AI lets Jordan's water operators find losses faster than any field crew. Models read meter, pressure and flow data to flag leaks and illegal connections, forecast demand by district, and schedule pumping and desalination when power is cheapest. Performance contracts such as South Amman and Mafraq pay for measured results, so an operator with better models earns more and the country keeps more water.

What can be built

Leak and theft detection. Models that read pressure, flow and meter data to locate leaks and illegal connections district by district.
Network digital twins. Live models of whole networks that test pressure changes, new mains and supply shifts before crews touch a pipe.
Energy-aware pumping. Scheduling that moves pumping and desalination to the hours when solar power is plentiful and cheap.
Bid and contract tools. AI that prepares feasibility studies, financial models and performance baselines for water PPPs in days.

Robotics

Most of Jordan's water infrastructure is buried, remote or both. Robots that travel inside live mains find weak sections without cutting off supply, trenchless machines replace old pipes under busy streets, and drones survey canals, dams and the 450-kilometre carrier route. At desalination plants, automated systems clean membranes and handle chemicals, so a small team can run a large plant around the clock.

What can be built

In-pipe inspection. Robots that travel inside live mains to map corrosion, leaks and weak joints without interrupting supply.
Trenchless renewal. Machines that reline or replace old pipes from small pits, cutting the cost and disruption of network rebuilds.
Canal and dam drones. Drones that survey the King Abdullah Canal, dams and catchments for leaks, silt and damage after storms.
Automated plants. Desalination and pumping stations where robots clean membranes, change filters and inspect equipment day and night.

Tokenization

A water concession pays for decades from tariffs and availability payments, which suits tokenization. Stakes in a desalination plant, a conveyance line or a performance contract could be issued as tokens, with payments to holders as the utility pays the operator. Publishing each asset's output, energy use and losses to a shared registry would let Jordanian savers and investors abroad see exactly what their stake delivers.

What can be built

Plant ownership tokens. Stakes in desalination and treatment plants that pay holders from long-term water purchase payments.
Performance contract tokens. Shares in non-revenue water contracts that pay out as measured losses fall district by district.
Water savings credits. Verified tokens for each cubic metre saved by leak repair, which utilities or industry can buy.
Diaspora water tokens. Small-ticket stakes that let Jordanians abroad fund network projects in their home towns.

Small PPPs and unsolicited proposals

Small PPPs and research labs

Water suits small PPPs because results are measured in cubic metres from the first day. A water research lab inside the Ministry of Water and Irrigation could run pilots at about $100,000 each, such as smart meters and pressure control in one district metered area, a solar-powered brackish desalination unit for a village, or AI leak detection on one stretch of the King Abdullah Canal, and carry the winners into large contracts.

How it works

Unsolicited proposals under Article 15

A company that knows Jordan's networks can bring its own project to government under Article 15. Ideas include solar plants for the largest pumping stations, paid from energy savings; brackish-well desalination for towns in the Jordan Valley; rainwater harvesting and reuse at industrial estates; leak reduction across a governorate, paid from the water recovered; and desalinated water supply for hydrogen and industrial projects in Aqaba.

How it works

New industries

What the sector can create

01Desalination manufacturingMaking membranes, pressure vessels, pumps and pipes in Jordan and Aqaba for the carrier and for the plants that will follow across the region.
02Water intelligence servicesJordanian firms that run AI leak detection, smart metering and digital twins of networks, and sell those services to utilities across the Middle East.
03Solar desalinationSmall plants powered by sunlight that treat brackish wells and seawater for towns, farms and resorts beyond the reach of the national grid.
04Brine and mineral recoveryRecovering salts, magnesium and other minerals from desalination brine, turning a waste stream into raw materials for industry.
05Robotic pipe renewalTrenchless and robotic rehabilitation of old mains, a fast-growing service as cities across the region replace ageing networks.
06Water-backed investmentFunds and tokenized instruments that let savers own part of plants and performance contracts and receive a share of their revenue.

Opportunities

Where partners come in

Tenders: Bid for the South Amman non-revenue water contract and the design-build network packages procured under World Bank, KfW and EIB financing.
Performance contracts: Run utilities, districts and plants under contracts paid for measurable results, following the Yarmouk and Mafraq models.
Direct proposals: Propose a project under Article 15 of PPP Law No. 19 of 2023, such as solar-powered pumping or brackish desalination for a town.
Small-scale PPPs: Regulation No. 9 of 2024 allows small-scale PPPs below about US$14.1 million, which suits rainwater harvesting at industrial estates and small treatment units.
Supply and services: Supply pipes, meters, valves, pumps, membranes and SCADA, or manufacture them in Jordan with Investment Environment Law incentives and Aqaba Special Economic Zone benefits.
Investment and ownership: Finance plants and networks through infrastructure funds, development banks and tokenized stakes that open ownership to more investors.

Stained-glass illustration in blue glass of a city of towers under a rising arch

The road to the singularity

2026Carrier agreement signed and financial close expected; non-revenue water down to 41%; Veolia runs the northern utility.
2030Desalinated water from Aqaba reaches Amman; more cities move to performance contracts; Mafraq's losses fall towards 40%.
2035Smart meters and AI pressure control reach every city; solar power supplies most pumping and treatment.
2040The 25% loss target of the national strategy is met; one digital system balances desalination, groundwater, dams and reuse.
2050Water in Jordan is made from seawater and sunlight, run by AI, and the country exports its water know-how to the region.

Jordan has turned scarcity into a reason to build. The projects in this guide are the first steps towards a country that makes its own water from the sea and the sun, and runs every drop with intelligence.

Download the sector guide (PDF)

Guides for organizations

Launch a PPP program of your own

The guides closest to Jordan's water sector, each showing one kind of organization how to launch a PPP program, with six first steps.

Economic sectors
Water Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to develop desalination, wastewater treatment and reuse, non-revenue water and network projects as public-private partnerships (PPPs) and to run them on performance contracts.
Read PDF
Operators and services
Utilities and Operators
Your company launches a PPP operations program to bid for operation and maintenance contracts and full concessions in water, power, transport, ports and waste, run with AI and robotics.
Read PDF
Public sector
Municipalities
Your municipality launches a public-private partnership (PPP) program of small projects at city scale, in parking, street lighting, waste, markets, bus stations, parks, local roads and public buildings, prepared with AI, robotics and tokenization in mind.
Read PDF
Technology and knowledge
Robotics Companies
Your company launches a PPP program to build, inspect and maintain public-private partnership (PPP) projects with drones, crawlers, construction robots and autonomous machines, and to supply them as a service for the life of each concession.
Read PDF