Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation has extended the deadline for submission of the prequalification proposals for the first phase of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project (Red-Dead) to May 30, said a report.

The first phase of the Red-Dead project will be developed on a build, operate and transfer basis, reported the Jordan Times, citing a source.  

Jordan had signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel and Palestine in December 2013 to implement the first phase of the Red-Dead project.

Under the proposal, Palestine will receive 30 million cu m of freshwater to cover its water deficit, while Israel will buy its share of 50 million cu m of desalinated water from the project at cost value and sell Jordan the same amount of water in the northern Jordan Valley at a cost of JD0.27 per cubic metre.

Construction on the first phase is planned to start next year, according to the ministry, which said that under the first phase, a total of 300 million cu m water will be pumped each year.

The project's main components are a seawater intake structure; an intake pump station; a seawater pipeline; a desalination plant with a capacity of 65-85 million cu m per year and a desalination brine conveyance pipeline, said the report

Besides this work will also involve construction of two lifting pump stations; hydropower plants; and discharge facilities at the Dead Sea, it stated.

A total of 85-100mcm of water will be desalinated annually, while the seawater will be pumped out from an intake located in the north of the Gulf of Aqaba, it added.