Projects

EWE will be instrumental in the realisation of a number of projects concerning water and energy cooperation. The potential projects include:

Water cooperation

Water Economics Project (WEP)

WEP is a programme of research into water management and conflict resolution in the Middle East, chaired by Professor Franklin M. Fisher at MIT. WEP has developed an innovative model of water optimisation – the Water Allocation System – which shows how a focus on maximising social values from water usage can realise benefits for all parties, and how these benefits are enhanced by water cooperation. EWE is facilitating the application of this powerful tool to trans-boundary water transactions within the Jordan River basin. Specific EWE activities planned to realise such a goal include symposia in Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon for senior public officials and water resource experts from the region to demonstrate the management value of WEP for both domestic and trans-boundary use. The planned involvement also of US and European diplomatic representatives reveals a core EWE strategy to foster external governmental sponsorship and/or support for environmental cooperation within the region.

Model Water Agreement

This project is designed to inform Track Two trans-boundary water negotiations between neighbours dependent on sharing the Jordan basin water. While current political circumstances preclude official negotiations on water resources in the region, there is a need to explore mechanisms and procedures for future cooperation. The EWE will build on existing research on the political and social dynamics of trans-boundary water relations in the region and the patterns and processes of integration within Europe and the Middle East. An EWE working group on water issues, chaired by Professor Tony Allan (King’s College London), will locate and highlight research conducive to the progress of the Model Water Agreement.

Energy cooperation

100 Mega Watt solar power station

This prototype project aims to build a solar power station in the Sinai desert in Egypt or the Arava desert in Jordan. It requires the collaboration between Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority and utilises the help and knowledge of European countries, such as the Czech Republic, the UK and Germany. The eventual goal is to further develop the project in the MENA region and involve countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.

A solar energy powered desalination plant

This project was developed by the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) initiative led by Dr Gerhard Knies in collaboration with experts from Europe and the MENA region and Dr Khaled Elshuraydeh of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Jordan. In the aim of realising such a development, EWE’s activities will foster collaboration between Jordan, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority and utilise the assistance and knowledge of European countries, including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Scientific discussions surrounding the prototype projects have shown that they are indeed realistic and technically feasible.

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