$148 million wind power project inaugurated in Maan

AMMAN — Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif on Sunday in Maan inaugurated a wind energy project to generate electricity, funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The $148-million project aims at supporting the national economy and developing Maan, and comes in implementation of Royal directives to adopt alternative energy sources in order to reduce the energy bill as well as create job opportunities for Jordanians.

The inauguration ceremony was held at the project’s site near Al Hussein Bin Talal University in the presence of KFAED Director General Abdulwahab Ahmad Al Bader, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Hamad Al Duaij, Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Santiago Cabanas and representatives from Elecnor, the company conducting the project.

The State-owned project is expected to generate 200 gigawatt/hour annually and is “the first of its kind”, Saif told Petra, commending Kuwait’s role in funding the project.

He said the government prioritises the use of local energy sources, especially renewable energy, to contribute to addressing the energy crisis in the Kingdom and increase the share of alternative energy sources to the energy mix to 20 per cent by 2025.

At the end of the inauguration ceremony, former minister Ahmad Al Khattab, representing the Maan community, thanked Saif and the two ambassadors, in addition to the project’s supporters for their contributions to develop the area and serve national economy, Petra, reported.
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‘Two new Tafileh wind plants to be ready by 2019’ – Jordan Times

By Mohammad Ghazal – Apr 02,2016

AMMAN — Two wind power plants with a total capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) will be ready and connected to the grid by 2019, according to one of the companies involved in the project.

The first $110 million 50MW wind plant, which will be located in Tafileh, some 180km southwest of Amman, will be implemented by the Korea Southern Power Company Ltd. and Daelim Energy Company Ltd.

“We will borrow from the International Finance Corporation and the Islamic Development Bank to implement the project,” Cheol Kim, senior manager of the renewable development team at Daelim Energy Company, told The Jordan Times after the signing of the power purchase agreement with the government on Thursday.

“We chose to invest in Jordan due to its strategic location, and the wind speed in [the Kingdom is] very suitable for wind plants… Korean companies have invested a lot in the energy sector in Jordan,” Kim said, adding that construction on the plant is scheduled to start in 2017 and be completed by 2019.

Under another agreement signed Thursday, Abour Energy, a unit owned by Saudi Arabia’s Xenel Industries, will build another 50MW wind power plant in Tafileh.

The wind plant will cost more than $100 million, and it will be financed through loans from the Islamic Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation, Fereydoon Abtahi, general manager of Abour Energy, told The Jordan Times in an interview on the sidelines of the deal’s signing.

“We will begin construction in 2017, and it will be completed by 2019,” Abtahi said.

Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif stressed the importance of the agreements, which fall in line with the country’s strategy to increase reliance on renewable energy resources.

South Korean Ambassador to Jordan Choi Hong-ghi said South Korea has invested significantly in the energy sector in Jordan.

“We are hoping for more cooperation with Jordan in various areas, especially in the energy sector,” said the ambassador.

Renewable energy projects in Jordan contribute 3-4 per cent to the national electricity grid, and the figure is scheduled to reach 10 per cent by 2020.

Jordan is expected to have solar and wind projects of a total capacity of 1,600MW.

Wind speeds in the Kingdom can be as high as 7.5 metres to 11.5 metres per second in hilly areas
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Greenpeace commends Jordan’s wind power projects – Jordan Times

AMMAN – Greenpeace in the Arab world commended inaugurating the Maan wind energy project which places Jordan on the map of competition among the Arab countries. According to a Greenpeace statement.

Campaigns administrator Julien Jreissati said that Jordan has showed seriousness towards renewable energy projects by creating the national strategy, and building wind farms in Tafilah and Maan.

“We support efforts in this field which makes Jordan a leading country in diversifying its energy sources attempting to reach 100% of renewable energy in 2050” Jreissati said.
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