Tapping the Red Sea, Jordan Makes a Bold Water Play

A $5bn Red Sea desalination plant may shift how the Middle East manages water scarcity

10 Feb 2025

For decades, Jordan has been a cautionary tale of water scarcity. Now it wants to become a blueprint. In January 2025, the country announced a $5bn plan to build one of the world’s largest desalination plants on the Red Sea. The goal: to boost its drinking water supply by nearly 60 percent and redefine regional hydropolitics in the process.

The Red Sea project will produce more than 300 million cubic meters of potable water annually, pumped inland across 400 kilometers of arid landscape to reach Jordan’s densely populated heartland. In a country that ranks among the world’s most water-poor, this is nothing short of revolutionary.

Jordan is not going it alone. The project is led by a consortium of engineering giants, including Meridiam, SUEZ, VINCI Construction, and Egypt’s Orascom. With them comes not just capital but technical prowess and political cover for what would otherwise be a dauntingly ambitious scheme.

“This is a historic moment,” said Raed Abu al-Saud, the minister overseeing water and irrigation. Indeed, it is one that regional peers will be watching closely. Climate change is rendering the Gulf ever thirstier. While Gulf states have long relied on desalination, they have yet to adopt the sort of scale and integration Jordan now pursues.

There are complications. Desalination is energy-intensive and environmentally fraught, especially in ecologically sensitive areas like the Red Sea. The viability of the project will hinge on how well Jordan can integrate renewable power and manage brine discharge, issues that have dogged similar ventures elsewhere.

Still, the potential rewards are large. Analysts say the initiative positions Jordan as a sustainability innovator, with implications for regional cooperation on water infrastructure. If successful, it could mark a shift toward large-scale, cross-border solutions rather than piecemeal national fixes.

For now, construction is imminent and expectations are high. With Gulf neighbours eyeing similar constraints, Jordan’s project may soon serve as a model not just for survival but for influence in a climate-strained Middle East.