A French consortium of Meridiam and Suez has been appointed as the preferred bidder for Jordan’s National Water Carrier project, also known as Aqaba Amman Desalination and Water Conveyance project, The Jordan Times newspaper said on Tuesday, quoting Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.

The report, citing state-owned Jordan News Agency Petra, said a Special Procurement Committee will now commence direct negotiations with the chosen bidder for the multi-billion-dollar project, which will supply with 300 million cubic metres of desalinated water annually from the Red Sea through a pipeline.

Jordan has secured financial commitments and agreements of up to $2.2 billion in grants and concessional loans for the project, which is estimated to cost up to 3 billion Jordanian dinars ($4.2 billion), according to past media reports and official statements.

(Editing by Anoop Menon) (anoop.menon@lseg.com)

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