Inhabited for 6,000 years, Aqaba sits at the point where Jordan reaches the Red Sea. Its beach resorts are popular for sunbathing and windsurfing, while the Yamanieh coral reef attracts scuba divers from around the world. Booming growth put these magnets at risk.

So to protect the quality of its marine environment and preserve the region’s attractiveness for tourism, the port city has committed to making huge investments into collection and treatment of 61,000 cubic metres per day from sewer and wastewater by 2030.

Aqaba’s resource recovery strategy generates US$4 million in income for the city, maintaining green areas and urban landscapes. Above all, it reduces carbon emission through enhanced operation and energy efficiency, as well as through production of carbon neutral power from solar farms and biogas. Ultimately, the city will recover 100 percent of its energy.

Aqaba was profiled at IWA’s Development Congress in Buenos Aires, among eight cities to illustrate the wastewater challenge and reuse opportunity. It demonstrated how transition to a circular economy is not limited to the “usual suspects” of pioneering cities such as Singapore or Stockholm.

Other cities that recover a significant portion of energy from wastewater include Bangkok (62 percent), Beijing (45 percent), Chennai (77 percent), and Kampala (227,000 Kwh/y).

The ‘zero discharge’ targets are ambitious, and policies must be targeted toward industry and backed by meaningful incentives. The global market for wastewater recycling and reuse should reach US$22.3 billion by 2021. New innovations in technology help open opportunities and make the transition affordable.

“Whilst the necessity of wastewater reuse in water scarce places like Aqaba is apparent,” observes the IWA’s soon to be released The Reuse Opportunity report, “cities everywhere are increasingly taking proactive actions to improve their water security. They are given greater autonomy; decision making is decentralised, and systems are being adapted to local drivers and demands.”

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“Today, the EU is a key partner for Jordan in developing green energy sources with more than €150 million, and we are proud to announce that we have exceeded our 2020 green energy targets for Europe,” said Andrea Matteo Fontana, EU Ambassador to Jordan. “We are therefore happy to use our experience to support Jordan in achieving their green energy targets.”

The EU is providing a €30 million grant to help the Water Authority of Jordan construct a photovoltaic system to power three to five water pumping stations across the country. The EBRD will manage the grant funds and supervise the implementation of the project.

Rapid population growth and the climatic conditions of the country have put significant pressure on the country’s limited water resources and created severe shortages. The increased demand for water and wastewater resources also brings higher demand for electricity, which represents up to 60 percent of operating costs for water services.

“The EBRD promotes the adoption of renewable technology for a more sustainable use of scarce resources,” said Heike Harmgart, Head of the EBRD Resident Office in Jordan. “This work can become a model for other projects in the Jordanian municipal sector.”

Through the use of solar power for water and wastewater facilities, the project is expected to set a precedent for the use of sustainable renewable energy technology in the sector. The project also aims to develop market structures to enhance private sector participation by focusing, where feasible, on the introduction of engineering, procurement and construction, and operations and maintenance contracts.

In addition, the EBRD is providing a loan of up to €7.5 million to the Greater Amman Municipality, while the EU Delegation in Jordan is contributing €5 million in grants to help build a waste-to-energy plant in the Al-Shaer solid waste transfer station. The plant is expected to produce up to 9 million cubic metres of biogas per year from food waste, recycling approximately 11 percent of the organic waste collected.

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