Chronic water scarcity is one of the key obstacles to Jordan"s development. Efforts to reform the supply situation in recent years have been outweighed by the effects of a growing population and high demand. This rapid population growth, along with agricultural expansion and the impacts of global climate change, have increased the pressure on Jordan"s scarce water resources, which have been heavily overused for years. Also, energy costs for the water sector have increased with the costs of operation reaching more than 50 per cent of the water sector bill in 2021. Against this backdrop of growing demand from several directions for an increasingly scarce resource, the Jordanian government is very interested in harnessing the potential of Renewable Energy (RE) technologies and improving Energy Efficiency (EE) in the water sector to improve financial sustainability. The main objective of the EEWS project is to improve energy efficiency in the water sector through anchoring central elements of a functional energy management system compliant with ISO 50001. The EEWS aims also to support increasing the accuracy and the utility of water and energy data for planning and monitoring purposes. This means eliminating existing obstacles in the enabling environment (for example, inadequate institutional structures and processes, lack of knowledge, data, and skills), developing facilitating mechanisms and tools (e.g., water and energy data management system), and thus inducing a change in the system. Consequently, the economic efficiency of water utilities and thus supply quality and safety in the sector are increased. Additionally, the EEWS supports the water and energy nexus to plan and implement joint projects toward having win-win solutions that lead to reducing financial burdens on both sectors. The project combines energy-related, methodological, and process consulting with measures to optimize energy management and renewable energy deployment in selected operational units (multi-level and multi-stakeholder approaches) of the water sector. The relevant actors, i.e., Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, and the Water Supply Companies (WSCs) are strengthened in their respective roles and functions. Cooperation with the private sector is facilitated where feasible, e.g., as investors in EE/RE measures or as service providers, for example through performance-based maintenance contracts. The project includes five major fields of action: 1. Energy Management System (EnMS) 2. Data Management 3. EE and RE Investments (Budgeting) 4. Improvement of Operation 5. Water Energy Food Environment (WEFE) NEXUS Along with providing sustainable electricity and increasing the use of RE in the water sector, the project will help to mitigate climate change by directly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project also supports in improving the operations of the water utilities and internal planning and implementation processes towards higher EE. Furthermore, through effective EnMS, the water sector will be enabled to monitor and evaluate its performance for optimisation. The Energy Management System (EnMS) is being implemented in the Jordanian Water Sector since 2019 with the support of the project. This includes designing and implementing standardized processes and structures for the sector according to ISO 50001. The support of the project focuses on the application of the EnMS central elements, that support the water companies and thus the entire water sector in enhancing their energy performance and reducing the operational costs. This is achieved by increasing data reliability and utilisation, and by developing the technical and organisational capacities of water companies to help them take better decisions at the technical and managerial level. The cooperation between the water and energy sectors has improved and started specific projects and activities to improve the cost recovery of the water sector.
