Get a $25,000,000 Concessional Loan for Jordan Water Utilities: Jordan Water Efficiency Scale Loan (2025)

If you run a municipal water utility or a water user association in Jordan and have been losing sleep over leaks, unpaid bills, and shrinking aquifers, this financing opportunity is worth your attention. The Jordan Water Efficiency Scale Loan offers up to USD 25 million per utility to cut Non‑Revenue Water (NRW), install smart meters, expand wastewater reuse, and strengthen financial and operational systems. It’s a loan — but one designed to make tangible savings on water and energy that pay back over time, and with performance rewards that can convert part of the debt into a grant.

This is not a generic infrastructure line. It’s aimed at utilities that can show the problem — a baseline NRW assessment — and a commitment to transparent tariffs that treat the poorest customers fairly. Think of it as a long‑term tool to stop money and water from leaking away. Fix the leaks, modernize the network, and you lower costs, reduce pumping energy, and create reliable supplies for households and farmers.

Below I’ll walk you through what’s on offer, who should apply, how to prepare a compelling submission, and the common traps to avoid. Read this as a mentor’s briefing — practical, candid, and focused on helping you succeed.

At a Glance

Why this loan matters (three short realities)

Jordan sits among the most water‑stressed countries on the planet. On average, an individual Jordanian has access to far less water than international scarcity benchmarks. At the same time, many utilities lose roughly half of the water they treat and pump to leaks, theft, and billing gaps. That’s not just waste — it’s a financial hemorrhage. A targeted investment that reduces NRW by 10–20 percentage points can immediately improve cash flow, free up water for households and agriculture, and cut energy costs.

Concessional terms make the financing affordable. The loan’s interest rate is intentionally lower than commercial borrowing; repayment periods are long enough to align debt service with the savings you’ll generate. Best of all, there’s a performance element: meet agreed NRW targets and part of the loan can be forgiven as a grant. That changes the math — spending smartly now can translate into lasting financial and operational improvements.

What This Opportunity Offers

This facility combines money with hands‑on technical support. The headline is USD 25 million per qualifying utility, but the package is more than just capital.

First, concessional financing. The interest rate is meaningfully below market, which reduces your annual debt service. For a multi‑decade infrastructure program, that margin can free up tens of millions of dinars in operating cash over time.

Second, performance‑based grant conversion. The program ties forgiveness to measured NRW reductions. If you commit to a credible plan and achieve the targets — for example, a drop from 50% to 30% NRW — a portion of your loan can be converted into a grant. That incentive pushes utilities to deliver results, not just spend money.

Third, technical assistance funding. A dedicated technical assistance pot (roughly USD 2 million at program level) pays for leak detection surveys, hydraulic modeling, smart meter deployment planning, and capacity building. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; consultants and experts can help you scope the right interventions and set up monitoring systems.

Fourth, tariff reform and transparency support. The program encourages utilities to publish clear tariff schedules, cost breakdowns, and social protection measures. That’s vital: the public is unlikely to accept higher charges unless there’s evidence the extra revenue will improve service and protect vulnerable groups.

Finally, the program explicitly supports wastewater reuse projects and energy‑saving measures that reduce operational costs. If your plan demonstrates reduced pumping energy alongside water savings, you strengthen the financing case.

Who Should Apply

This is squarely for legally registered Jordanian water utilities and water user associations that manage bulk or retail water services. Ideal candidates share several traits:

• You serve a substantial customer base — hundreds to hundreds of thousands of connections — and you have documented NRW problems. Small isolated schemes may not have the scale to justify a $25M facility.
• You have a recent NRW baseline assessment (within roughly two years). That’s non‑negotiable: the program pays for measured improvements.
• You can produce audited financial statements for the last three years showing you can reasonably service debt once savings are realized.
• You are willing to commit to tariff transparency and to design social tariff elements for low‑income households.

Real‑world examples: a municipal utility serving a mid‑sized city with 100,000 residents and 50% NRW that wants to roll out district metering and replace old distribution mains; a regional utility planning to install a SCADA system and smart meters across multiple towns; a Water User Association seeking to shift irrigation from groundwater to treated wastewater with a delivery pipeline.

If you are a smaller water user group or an NGO, you may still participate through partnerships with a licensed utility or by joining a broader regional proposal.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This section is where you convert theory into proposals that reviewers actually fund. These are practical, specific, and based on what tends to work in similar programs.

1. Lead with numbers, not rhetoric. Start your concept note with clear metrics: current NRW percentage, volume lost annually (cubic meters), estimated annual revenue loss (in JD), and projected savings from proposed interventions. Don’t bury these in the middle of a narrative — make them the headline.

2. Prioritize quick, high‑impact interventions. Funders love a reasonable phasing plan. Identify the “low‑hanging fruit” first: the zones with the highest nighttime flows, the oldest pipe materials that fail often, or the neighborhoods with a cluster of illegal connections. Show that early wins will generate cash flow to support later, bigger investments.

3. Design DMAs and show the math. District Metering Areas are the backbone of NRW reduction. Include maps, sample DMA boundaries, and night‑flow reduction estimates per DMA. If you can show a DMA pilot that yields a predictable reduction, reviewers will trust your scaling plan.

4. Pair hardware with operational changes. A procurement list that is only meters and pipes is weaker than one that includes meter reading protocols, enforcement plans for illegal connections, and customer communication campaigns. Explain who will operate and maintain new systems.

5. Build the digital argument. Propose a realistic “digital twin” or SCADA phased approach: start with critical DMAs, link to a central dashboard, and show how data will be used for preventive maintenance. You don’t need to promise a full national digital twin on day one — promise incremental, testable steps.

6. Be explicit on social safeguards. If tariff changes are part of your plan, include a social mitigation package: lifeline volumes, targeted subsidies, and a way to identify eligible households. Demonstrating political and social acceptability is as important as the technical design.

7. Show institutional readiness. Include recent audit snapshots, governance documents, and an internal procurement plan. If your utility has already restructured billing or installed partial smart meters, highlight that to prove momentum.

8. Use cost‑benefit projections tied to energy savings. Pumping less water lowers electricity bills. Quantify expected kWh savings, JD savings per year, and how that helps meet debt service.

These tips together make your proposal look credible, realistic, and focused on results rather than just engineering wish lists.

Application Timeline (realistic and practical)

Work backward from the August 29, 2025 deadline and build in institutional review time. Utilities often need internal approvals and procurement office signoffs before submission.

• January–March 2025: Finalize or commission NRW baseline assessment. If you don’t have one, this is the first task. Contracts with consultants can take weeks, so start immediately.
• April–May 2025: Complete a feasibility study and draft the concept note. The feasibility should cover technical options, DMA design, phasing, and cost estimates.
• June 2025: Conduct community consultations and stakeholder briefings. Get initial endorsements from municipal councils or water boards.
• July 2025: Prepare financial projections, audited statements, and social mitigation plans. Ensure accounting entries and audit notes are ready.
• Early August 2025: Internal quality control and legal review. Submit the concept note several weeks before the official deadline if the process allows; MWI often runs briefing sessions.
• August 29, 2025: Formal submission to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

Build in extra time for translations, notarizations, and any government stamping processes. If your institution requires an internal approval or an external board sign‑off, reserve slots on those calendars now.

Required Materials (what you must prepare and how to format it)

You will need a combination of technical, financial, and social documents. Prepare these ahead so you’re not rushing at the end.

• NRW Baseline Report (detailed): Include methodology, measurement points, spillover estimates, and raw data files.
• Feasibility Study: Technical options, DMA maps, phased implementation schedule, and a clear monitoring framework.
• Hydraulic Model Outputs: Either model files or well‑documented reports demonstrating how interventions affect flows and pressures.
• Audited Financial Statements: Last three years, with notes. If audits are pending, include draft statements and a timeline to finalize.
• Tariff and Subsidy Plan: Current tariffs, proposed changes, social protections, and communication strategy.
• Community Engagement Plan: How you’ll inform and consult households, especially regarding tariff changes and legalizing connections.
• Procurement and Implementation Plan: Who will buy what, procurement timelines, and operation and maintenance (O&M) responsibilities.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan: Indicators, frequency, reporting templates, and responsible officers.

Where possible, submit digital appendices (maps, meter data logs, photos) and keep the main narrative crisp. Reviewers appreciate evidence over prose.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

Applications that win combine measurable ambition with grounded realism. Here are differentiators reviewers respond to.

• A phased DMA pilot with verified night‑flow reductions and a clear scaling pathway.
• A credible digital strategy — not vaporware, but a phased SCADA/smart‑meter roll‑out tied to staff training and a central dashboard.
• Demonstrated coupling of water savings to energy cost reductions — show the projected JD per year energy savings and how that improves financial sustainability.
• A coherent plan to address illegal connections with both enforcement and an amnesty pathway, plus estimated revenue recoveries from regularization.
• Strong governance commitments: public dashboards, tariff transparency, and periodic third‑party audits.

Proposals that show early wins, replicate successful pilots, and have social safeguards tend to score higher. Programs fund deliverable outcomes — show exactly how you’ll measure each one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

There are predictable errors that sink otherwise worthy proposals:

• Submitting without a recent NRW baseline. This is a threshold requirement — don’t skip it.
• Treating the loan as a salary or operating expense fund. Capital investments and technical assistance are eligible; wages are not.
• Overpromising technological leaps without staffing or O&M plans. New meters without meter reading or data analysis staff equal unused kit.
• Ignoring the social politics of tariffs. A technically sound tariff proposal can still fail politically if it lacks protection for poor households.
• Underestimating illegal connections and their complexity. Enforcement without community engagement breeds conflict.
• Weak monitoring: proposals that can’t show quarterly NRW data lack credibility.

Avoid these by planning conservatively and documenting how you’ll manage each risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this purely a loan or is some of it a grant? A: It’s primarily concessional loan financing with a performance‑based grant component. Meet agreed NRW reduction targets and part of the loan can be converted to grant.

Q: Who can be the borrower? A: Licensed Jordanian water utilities and registered Water User Associations are eligible. Smaller groups may partner with a utility on a joint proposal.

Q: Can we finance staff salaries or routine operations? A: No. The program targets capital investments (pipes, meters, treatment upgrades) and technical assistance. Operational costs and salaries are excluded.

Q: What interest rate should we expect? A: The loan is concessional — typically around 2–3% below market rates. Exact terms depend on final negotiations and co‑financing from partners like the World Bank or EIB.

Q: What happens if we do not meet NRW targets? A: You still must repay the loan in full. The grant conversion is contingent on verified achievement of targets. That’s why a conservative, evidence‑based plan matters.

Q: Are international partners allowed? A: Yes, you can contract international firms for technical assistance and works, but funds are routed through the borrowing utility or association in Jordan.

Q: Will the Ministry offer briefings? A: Yes. MWI typically holds briefing sessions and Q&A. Attend those — they clarify evaluation criteria and timelines.

How to Apply (next steps and link)

Ready to take action? Follow these concrete steps:

1. Confirm your eligibility: You must be a registered Jordanian water utility or a Water User Association with a recent NRW baseline.
2. Assemble a small project team with technical, financial, and community engagement leads.
3. Commission or update an NRW baseline assessment immediately if you don’t have one dated within two years.
4. Draft a concise 3–5 page concept note highlighting metrics, proposed interventions, phasing, and expected outcomes.
5. Contact the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, attend the next briefing, and submit your concept before the August 29, 2025 deadline.

Ready to apply? Visit the official Ministry of Water and Irrigation website for guidelines, tender announcements, and contact details: https://www.mwi.gov.jo/

If you want, I can help draft a concept note outline or review your DMA map and savings calculations — send your baseline figures and I’ll walk through them with you.