Aqaba Desalination Plant Phase 1 (MIGA-15501)

Regions
  • Middle East and North Africa
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Countries
  • Jordan
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Specific Location
Aqaba, Amman
Whenever identified, the area within countries where the impacts of the investment may be experienced. Exact locations of projects may not be identified fully or at all in project documents. Please review updated project documents and community-led assessments.
Financial Institutions
  • Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
C
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jun 28, 2025
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Meridiam Eurasia 3, Suez International
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Energy
  • Infrastructure
  • Water and Sanitation
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Guarantee
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 71.25 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 75.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Media Documents
Other Related Projects
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ MIGA website

Updated in EWS Jun 11, 2025

Disclosed by Bank Apr 28, 2025

Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team

Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

As stated by the MIGA, this summary covers an application by Meridiam Eurasia 3 of France and Suez International of France (collectively, the Guarantee Holders) for their equity/quasi-equity and/or shareholder loan investments into the National Carrier Project Company (the Project Enterprise) for the preliminary development activities (Early Works or Limited Notice To Proceed (LNTP) Works or Phase 1), in preparation of the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination & Conveyance project, a seawater desalination plant and associated infrastructure in Aqaba, Jordan, with a net potable water capacity of 300 million cubic meter per year (Phase 2).

Phase 1 scope of works will be limited to engineering and preparatory works necessary for the development of the desalination facility. Specifically, these activities will consist of design and engineering studies, on-site surveys, early staff mobilization and preparation, and environmental and social (E&S) assessments to be completed before financial close.

The Guarantee Holders seek cover for up to US$71.25 million for their investments of up to US$75 million in the LTNP Works, against the risk of Breach of Contract (BoC) for a guarantee period of up to 2 years (the Project).

Following the completion of Phase 1, Phase 2 will start and will entail the following components:

(i) Marine Works: an intake system composed of a pumping station to convey seawater to the desalination plant site and an energy dissipation chamber before discharge of the brine back to the sea;
(ii) Desalination Plant: a facility producing 300 million m3 of desalinated water per year through four independent parallel production lines, located in the Aqaba area;
(iii) Conveyance System: composed of a 438 km long underground water pipeline, three tanks and four pumping stations to convey water to the Aqaba turnout and to existing reservoirs near Amman; and
(iv) Renewable Energy: a solar power plant with a production capacity equal to 280-300 MWp.

The scope of Phase 1 and Phase 2 are completely distinct. Phase 1 does not involve any construction or operational activities and will end before the beginning of Phase 2.

The MIGA guarantee will not cover any construction or refurbishment activities, which will be undertaken as part of Phase 2. It is anticipated that the Project Enterprise will seek a MIGA guarantee for Phase 2, and therefore, a separate E&S due diligence and disclosure will be undertaken for Phase 2.

The Project (Phase 1) contributes to advancing the Government of Jordan's National Water Strategy for 2023-2040 which outlines steps towards addressing water challenges housed in four pillars (reform the legal and institutional framework, improve resource management to balance supply-demand, achieve financial sustainability, ensure transparent regulation of services and costs) in tandem with the sector's Financial Sustainability Roadmap which outlines a set of policy and investment measures that seek to close the operational deficit and reduce debt accumulation. The Project also supports innovation through its offering of advanced technology and modern standard practices for a non-conventional source of water supply for the sector.

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
Private Actors Description
A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

As stated by Bloomberg, Meridiam SAS operates as an asset management firm. The Company specializes in public and community infrastructure. Meridiam serves clients globally.

SUEZ International provides waste management services. The Company provides collection and recovery of waste, waste storage, recovery and recycling facilities, and management solutions for water and sanitation services. SUEZ International serves clients worldwide.
Private Actor 1 Private Actor 1 Role Private Actor 1 Sector Relation Private Actor 2 Private Actor 2 Role Private Actor 2 Sector
Meridiam Eurasia SAS Investor Infrastructure contracts with Suez SA Investor Water and Sanitation
Meridiam SAS Parent Company Infrastructure owns Meridiam Eurasia SAS Investor Infrastructure

Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

No project contacts provided at the time of disclosure.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit a request for information disclosure at: https://www.miga.org/contact/access_to_information

You can also request general information about MIGA and for information on guarantees by emailing: migainquiry@worldbank.org

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF IFC/MIGA

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by an IFC or MIGA- financed project. If you submit a complaint to the CAO, they may assist you in resolving a dispute with the company and/or investigate to assess whether the IFC is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. If you want to submit a complaint electronically, you can email the CAO at CAO@worldbankgroup.org. You can learn more about the CAO and how to file a complaint at http://www.cao-ombudsman.org

How it works

How it works