The Israeli government has launched a tender for private-sector partners to design, finance, build, operate and maintain a 400-million-cubic-metre-per-year seawater desalination plant in the Emek Hefer Industrial Zone near Netanya, central Israel, under a 25-year PPP concession.

The facility is planned to have an annual desalination capacity of 400 million cubic metres, equivalent to about 40% of Israel’s annual freshwater consumption by households and industry. The project will occupy approximately 20 hectares and include seawater intake infrastructure, desalination and water-treatment systems, as well as connections to Israel’s national water network. The government is advancing the supporting infrastructure required to integrate the facility into the national water supply system. The tender may also include an option for the construction of a natural-gas-fired power plant of up to 300 MW to supply electricity to the desalination facility. 

The project could also contribute to the Prosperity Blue initiative, a proposed trilateral water-for-energy agreement involving Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Under the arrangement, Israel would provide Jordan with up to 200 million cubic metres of desalinated water per year, in return for renewable electricity generated in Jordan, with the UAE participating as a partner in the initiative.