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November 19th, 2021
Via The Palestine Chronicle, a report on a water-for-energy agreement signed between Israel and Jordan:
A deal between Israel and Jordan that will see an exchange of solar power and freshwater between the two countries is expected to be signed next week, according to Haaretz.
The terms of the agreement state that solar energy produced in Jordan will be sent to Israel, while Israel will send Jordan desalinated Mediterranean water.
The deal has been brokered by the United Arab Emirates and the United States, and a joint declaration will reportedly be signed next week, according to Israel’s Energy Ministry.
It is not known the precise amounts of energy and water that will be exchanged between the two countries, but a source told Haaretz, that it would be “very significant” and also mutually beneficial to both countries.
Solar farms in Jordan will be plugged into the Israeli national grid, and would not be providing any power to the Jordanian grid, the source added.
Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, Jordanian Water Minister Mohammed al-Najjar, US climate envoy John Kerry, and Emirati climate envoy Sultan al-Jaber are all expected to be in attendance at the signing of the deal in the UAE.
Israel set a target of having 10 percent of its power come from renewable sources in 2020, but fell short.
It is anticipated that nine percent of the country’s energy will be produced from renewables by the end of this year. In Jordan, climate change has had a dramatic effect on the county’s water supply, heavily depleting reserves.
The two countries signed a deal in July for Israel to provide Jordan with 50 million cubic meters of water a year.