By Taylor Luck
AMMAN – Investment opportunities in the Kingdom’s renewable energy sector will be highlighted at an international conference next month.
Jordan’s renewable energy potential will be examined during the September 20-22 Global Green Techies Forum 2010, according to the Jordan Renewable Energy Society (JRES).
In a press conference yesterday, JRES Vice President Ghazi Khdairi underlined the importance of the event in attracting investments to the sector at the national and regional levels.
The conference, to be held by JRES in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, is designed to highlight renewable energy investment opportunities across the region and financing options for projects.
Khdairi said around 350 participants from 30 countries will participate in the forum, which also seeks to promote sustainable green building concepts.
In addition, the conference aims to highlight Jordan’s role in the promotion and adoption of renewable energy technologies across the region, Khdairi said, pointing out that the Kingdom was among the first Arab countries to endorse a renewable energy law.
Forum topics are expected to include energy policies, energy auditing and renewable energy project financing as well as legislation. The event’s renewable energy exhibition will also highlight technological developments and trends in the sector, including solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind power and hydrogen fuel cell technologies, according to organisers.
The Renewable Energy Law, passed earlier this year, streamlined procedures to allow local and international companies to negotiate with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources directly to establish renewable energy projects
Under the legislation, the National Electric Power Company is obligated to purchase any and all electricity produced by renewable energy power plants and cover the cost of connecting renewable energy projects to the national grid.
The law also established the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund, which currently holds $20 million in state funds, to support initiatives and an incentives system to encourage the adoption of renewable energy.
The national energy strategy’s goal of utilising renewable energy sources to contribute 10 per cent of Jordan’s energy mix is expected to require up to $14 billion in investments by various estimates.
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