After an initial assessment of the project, Israel and Jordan signed a memorandum of understanding for the water-for-energy deal.
First announced in 2021, the idea is that Jordan would build 600 MW of solar power capacity, which would then be exported to Israel. Israel would supply Jordan, which is water-scarce, with 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water.
The MOU was signed in Egypt at the COP27 climate summit. It was hosted by the United Arab Emirates. In 2020, the UAE became the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel.
According to Israel’s Energy Ministry, teams from each country met over the past year in order to examine the regulatory, financial, regulatory, and planning aspects of the project.
According to the ministry, the signing “expresses countries’ common desire to address the climate crisis through cross-border cooperation”.
The Middle East is extremely vulnerable to climate change, and this cooperation will be the first between Israel and Jordan.
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