In a ceremony facilitated by the UAE and in the presence of US climate envoy John Kerry, Israel and Jordan cemented the largest ever partnership between them agreeing to swap desalinated water for solar energy.
The agreement would not only help Jordan with its water scarcity but would also help Israel to meet climate targets and shift its status as an energy island.
The letter of intent to launch groundbreaking renewable electricity and water desalinization initiative was signed on Monday at the Dubai Expo by government officials from Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Following the event, Kerry tweeted that the agreement is a welcomed example of how the energy transition can be accelerated by cooperation, building at the same time greater resilience and helping the countries in the Middle East region, which is on the frontline of the climate crisis, to rise to the challenge.
The agreement shows how countries with different needs and capabilities can work together to combat the climate crisis and help each other cope with challenges in a greener, cleaner, and more efficient way.
The cooperation was enabled by the August 2020 Abraham Accords, which was described as the new era of cooperation between the UAE and Israel.
The joint news release from the Israeli Energy Ministry and the UAE Foreign Ministry said that Jordan would export 600 MWs of electricity generated from solar energy, while Israel, in return, will export up to 200 million m3 of desalinated water to Jordan.
Two programs – “Prosperity Green” the construction of photovoltaic solar generation and storage facilities in Jordan, and “Prosperity Blue,” the establishment of a new desalination facility in Israel – will also be implemented in line with the agreement.
According to the joint statement, further details and concrete plans for the execution of the projects will be available by 2022.
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