The erection and operation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Jordan call for high capital and annual operational expenditures. The latter is reflected though a high energy consumption of about 14% of total electricity produced in Jordan. This forms a huge financial burden on the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), responsible for most of WWTPs in Jordan.
Of equal importance, the issue of sludge management, particularly sludge treatment, dewatering and disposal, is a critical issue. Current management option entailing sludge transportation to specific WWTPs puts high financial burdens on the WAJ. Due to technical and managerial attributes, the current management practices of WWTPs in Jordan have resulted in un-sustainable wastewater treatment facilities associated with high operational costs and severe environmental impacts. All this urged WAJ in 2011 to apply the concept of Public private Partnership (PPP) aiming at improving the efficiency of the wastewater treatment facilities.