John Kerry, the Biden administration’s climate envoy, held separate talks in Jerusalem on Friday with Energy Minister Israel Katz and Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman on advancing regional cooperation on major green projects.
According to Israeli media, Kerry and Katz discussed a plan to build a 600MW capacity solar plant with storage in Jordan, and for Israel to export 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water per year to its neighbor, the Israeli Energy Ministry said in a statement.
They also discussed strategic cooperation between Israel, the US, Jordan, and the UAE.
Israel and Jordan’s deal to swap water and solar energy was brokered by the UAE and signed in 2021. A renewed memorandum of understanding reaffirming the countries’ commitment to the projects was signed in 2022 at the UN COP27 climate conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Both deals were signed in Kerry’s presence.
The agreement will see Israel purchase solar power from the Jordan-based facility, which will be constructed by an Emirati firm, and Jordan buy water from an Israeli site to be constructed along the Mediterranean coast.
Source : Jordan News
