DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17730329
title: Table 5 - 1 in 21 - MSK-JOR-ENV - Preliminary Risks Assessment and ESIA for the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance (AAWDC) Project (Jordan) - Renewable Energy Component

description: Table 5-1: Main Concerns Raised during the Session and Responses
NameAgencyQuestion / CommentResponseAli Abu KhalilAqaba-Governorate-Wadi ArabaIs this project an alternative to the Red-Dead Project, is it an independent project, or do they have any connection?The project is a national Jordanian initiative and has no connection to the Red-Dead Project.Khalid KhasawnehJordan Atomic Energy CommissionTaking into consideration the integration of renewable energy projects, what is the potential cost of the water reaching Amman?As the price of water will be determined by the developer, this is currently not known because we have not yet reached the Financial Proposal evaluation stage and are still in the Technical Proposal evaluation stage.Mohammad Al-QatatiGEOTECKWhere will the intake and the SWRO Plant be located? As mentioned, it will be in the industrial shore, and this area is small, fully utilized, and crowded with facilities. There is no space in the proposed area to create a new intake, and constructing a station close to the shores is challenging.The location has been determined by the ADC and ASEZA. It has been thoroughly studied from all technical and environmental aspects. Environmental approval for the site has been granted.Ameen OthmanNational Electricity CompanyRenewable energy is intermittent throughout the day and across seasons. Will there be battery banks or storage?- The project does not include provisions for power storage and there will be no feed-in to the grid, noting that detailed design will be developed by the winning BOT Contractor in collaboration with NEPCO - 20-30% of the project’s electricity will rely on renewable energy.Mohammad AytaniNational Electricity Company- In response to Engineer Amin Othman’ s question: Since there is no battery storage, 20% of the renewable energy will be available during the daytime, and during the night, the entire supply will come from the national grid. - The site selection is based on discussions with NEPCO, which has a technical role. There have been discussions on this matter with NEPCO, but Wadi Araba has not been proposed as one of the options, and this should be taken into consideration ultimately.- Communication has been established with NEPCO, and they are aware of the proposed sites. - The MWI, the Ministry of Energy, and NEPCO have agreed on all requirements. - The transmission line between the RE sites is separate from the national grid under NEPCO. Areas that do not rely on the RE sites will be connected to the national grid within Aqaba Governorate.Maryam KhloufASEZAWhat is the difference between the desalination, AAWDCP, and solar energy projects?All of them are part of the same project. The AAWDCP includes a desalination plant, conveyor, intake, and RE sites. However, the RE sites have a separate ESIA because their locations were not determined during the study period of AAWDCP (SWRO and the conveyor).Amro HalalatThe Jordan Maritime AuthorityThe environmental approval was granted for the preliminary design of the project. Will there be any further development by the BOT Contractor on the SWRO Plant and the project? It is possible that this could have environmental impacts or affect maritime navigation, considering site is crowded.The BOT Contractor has the right to make improvements to the project, but any changes made by the developer require approvals from the relevant authorities.Sultan HassanDevelopment AffairsWhat activities have been accomplished during the approximately five-month period between the ESIA disclosure session for AAWDCP and the scoping session for RE Sites?- The ESIA has been approved, - The technical proposals have been evaluated. - The sites for the renewable energy project were identified and studied.Amjad ObeidatAqaba Regional Affairs ManagerThere is a film shooting area that overlaps with 16 dunums of the proposed site in Al-Quwaira. Please take this overlap into consideration.- This will be taken into consideration during the site selection phase.Nour KhreisThe Royal Society for The Conservation of Nature- The location of Wadi Araba is within the sanctuary of Qatar PA and not inside it. - Al-Quewira RE Site is located within the buffer zone of Wadi Rum PA- Wadi Araba RE Site is located within Wadi Araba KBA - According to Mr. Amjad Obeidat, only the OHTL is within the Buffer zone. However, the Consultant will investigate this further (refer to Section 4.2.2) for preliminary results of the investigations).).Ya’qoub Bani tahaJordanian Engineers AssociationWhich of the three proposed energy sites is the most environmentally and technically suitable?- Al-Quwaira site is the best from a technical perspective. - By the end of the ESIA, it will be determined which site isenvironmentally better based on the approval of the MoEnv and ASEZA. - From a biological perspective, Mudawara site is the best.Ja’far Al- OmaryASEZAThe solar panels have negative impacts on birds, as they attract them, assuming the surface is water.This depends on the design. Modern solar panels are designed to minimize reflections. The panels can affect small migratory birds, causing them to burn if they get too close to the panels. Bird collisions with OHTL are a danger to bird life. However, the proposed OHTL is close to an existing OHTL and no cases of collisions with existing OHTL have been recordedTasneem RamadanASEZA- Wadi Araba site is within a bird migration area (Europe – Africa) and vice versa. What are the precautionary measures to avoid harming them and changing the direction of migration? - Are there precautionary measures to protect energy sites from sudden floods, as a flash flood occurred in Shamiyya Area and reached the airport, where Wadi Araba RE Site is near the airport? - Will aircraft take-offs and landings affect the OHTLs?- There is a distance between the OHTLs site and the airport. - There is no permanent bird migration route in that area. - The Consultant has conducted a preliminary hydrological assessment of the site during the constraints mapping and no major concerns were identified.Ali Abu- ElbehNational Electricity Company- Regarding the questions about the impact of OHTL on birds: High-voltage towers do not affect birds unless the size of these birds is large, such as the American eagle. Small birds are not affected by them. - The phenomenon of corona is not permanent; it exists only during high humidity.NotedMohanad Na’imatthe National Security and Crisis Management CenterIs it feasible to construct a new RE Site that would only contribute 20-30% of the total project’ s energy output using clean energy?At the beginning of the project, there was no component for RE. However, the Prime Minister’ s Office committed to 3.2 kg of CO2eq emissions per cubic meter, a condition by funders and donors.Ra’ed Al- KhalafatASEZAWhat is the number of job opportunities that the project will provide?This will be determined by the BOT Contractor, but it will be significant during both construction and operation.
description: Published as part of Development, Tetra Tech International, 2025, 21 - MSK-JOR-ENV - Preliminary Risks Assessment and ESIA for the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance (AAWDC) Project (Jordan) - Renewable Energy Component in null, European Investment Bank (EIB) on page 43, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17261273