The As Samra plant is a key component of the strategy adopted by the Jordanian authorities to protect water resources. It treats more than 70 percent of the wastewater in Jordan, it is 80 percent energy self-sufficient and supplies 10 percent of the country’s water resources used in agriculture. “We are delighted to support Jordan in its quest to protect water resources by recycling treated water for agriculture. The As Samra plant is renowned for the quality of its infrastructures, with its certifications for environmental management1 and energy efficiency2, which testify to our capacity to deliver sustainable solutions to protect the planet’s resources,” said Marie-Ange Debon.

This inauguration is part of the 25-year public-private partnership contract that was awarded, in 2012, by the Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation to the Samra Project Company consortium, made up of Suez and its partner Morganti, from Consolidated Contractors Company, for the extension of the As Samra wastewater treatment plant.

The contract is worth a total of $270 million with a $93 million subsidy from the US Millennium Challenges Corporation (MCC) programme. It follows an initial contract, awarded in 2002 by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to the Samra Project Company for the design, funding, construction and operation of the As Samra wastewater treatment plant. It was the first BOT (Build Operate Transfer) ever signed in Jordan. The extension has increased the plant’s capacity from 267,000 to 365,000 m3 per day in order to meet the needs of an estimated 3.5 million inhabitants, representing almost 35% of the country’s population.