Still wondering if the Middle East is serious about solar? Look at Jordan
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Author:woqinxny
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Published time: 2018-06-12
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Jordan inaugurated its largest solar power plant on Thursday, adding another 103 megawatts to its 533MW solar collection.The US$128 million Quweira solar photovoltaic power plant, located in the south near Aqaba, was constructed by Abu Dhabi-based Enviromena Power Systems and Spain’s TSK.
Jordan inaugurated its largest solar power plant on Thursday, adding another 103 megawatts to its 533MW solar collection.
The US$128 million Quweira solar photovoltaic power plant, located in the south near Aqaba, was constructed by Abu Dhabi-based Enviromena Power Systems and Spain’s TSK. Financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the plant’s capacity is nearly double that of the country’s existing solar power facilities and is equivalent to nearly 300 football fields.
“The Quweira PV is another notch in Jordan’s solar belt, generating 16 percent of all solar capacity in the country,” said Sami Khoreibi, chief executive of Enviromena. “This will help Jordan not only reach its solar power targets, but cut dependency on fuel imports.”
The country relies heavily on fuel imports to meet its domestic energy needs, but that has decreased with the addition of renewable energy. Jordan’s import bill decreased by 24 percent to $2.7 billion in 2016 compared to the previous year, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MOENR).
“Access to affordable power is important for economic growth, and the Quweira project will help replace nearly 400,000 barrels of oil per year,” said Joaquín García Rico, chief executive of TSK.
Jordan is aiming for renewable energy to make up 10 percent of its total energy mix by 2020, but it is a very real possibility that the country will surpass that 2.4 gigawatt target. By the end of last year, the country’s solar capacity alone reached 533MW. Currently, renewables generate about 700MW or 8 percent of the country's total electricity generation.
Jordan’s energy minister, Saleh Kharabsheh, said that the bulk of renewable energy projects in the country were financed by the private sector, valued at $2bn.
*Note there are varying financial figures reported throughout the media. $128 is the total cost of EPC only
**Video courtesy of Enviromena
