A joint venture between GE Energy Financial Services and a Turkish industrial contractor will start building this month a $1-billion pipeline to convey water in the water-scarce country of Jordan.

Called the Disi Water Conveyance Project, is part of the Jordanian government’s strategic plan to increase water supplies to its growing population. The project will pump water from the Disi aquifer in Mudawarra to Jordan’s capital and most populous city, Amman. To do this, the pipeline will span 325 km, crossing the heart of the country. Once finished, the pipeline will convey 100 million cubic meters of water a year.
The GE-GAMA joint venture will invest $190 million for the project, with additional funding from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan of $300 million in grants. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation of the US, the European Investment Bank, and Proparco of France will provide $455 million in debt financing.
On the other hand, water is delivered only once a week to Amman’s residents. By 2015, Jordan is expected to need 1.6 billion cubic meters per year, of which 6% will be supplied by the new water conveyance project.