JORDAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) are providing support to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) to expand the As Samra wastewater treatment facility in Jordan. The EU is making a $34.31 million grant available to co-finance an EBRD investment, which is expected to be signed next year. The investment will enable the facility’s current capacity of 365,000 m³/d to be expanded by 100,000 m³/d.^[1]

PAKISTAN – Members in the upper house of the Parliament have expressed serious concerns about the mismanagement of a 7,570 m³/d desalination facility in Gwadar. A recent enquiry reported instances of mismanagement in the project and accused a tankers mafia of not wanting the project to succeed because it would disturb their own businesses.

Last week, the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform was told that the plant was installed but could not function while its equipment was decaying. The committee chair stated that all those involved in the mismanagement of the plant should be held responsible; and the committee referred the case to the national accountability bureau (NAB) for proceedings.^[2]

U.A.E. – Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and a new joint venture consisting of Mubadala Investment Company and Dubal Holding will develop a power generation facility and desalination plant in Jebel Ali.  The $272.3 million project will be located at EGA’s aluminum smelting facility, and EGA will buy power from the new joint venture for 25 years once the facilities are operational.

The joint venture will install a 600 megawatt combined-cycle power facility at EGA’s Jebel Ali site. Five older, smaller, and less-efficient turbines at the site will be put on standby for emergency use only once the new facilities are finished.^[3]

^{Reverse Osmosis filters of the existing Penneshaw Desalination Plant on Kanagroo Island, South Australia . Credit: SA Water}

AUSTRALIA  – Kangaroo Island’s new water plan has identified a desalination plant at Penneshaw as the best option to guarantee the island’s future water supply. The water plan was developed in collaboration with the local community and confirms that the existing water supply has sufficient capacity to meet the community’s needs until 2036.

The development of the plant will be initiated in 2030.^[4]