Jordania - First-ever wind energy plant to be erected

The Jordanian government is currently in negotiations with a Greek company to establish the Kingdom's first-ever wind power plant, according to a Ministry of Energy official. The Greek firm is in final talks to construct a 30-40 megawatt (MW) plant in Kamsheh, near Jerash, according to Ziyad Jibril, head of the ministry's Renewable Energy Directorate.

"If they are successful, we hope to present the offer to the government soon for the final decision," he said, noting that the ministry hopes to have the wind power plant operational by the end of 2010.

The ministry is also preparing the bidding process for an 80-90MW wind power plant in Fujeij, near Shobak, with the tender for its construction expected to be floated in late April.

"We have had many companies from across the world express interest and we plan to have the Fujeij plant operational by 2011," Jibril said, adding that the plant is being founded with technical and financial assistance from the World Bank-managed Global Environment Facility.

According to Jibril, officials are currently carrying out assessments of locations in Al Harir, near Tafileh, Al Hussein University area in Maan, and Wadi Araba where the ministry hopes to construct wind power plants capable of generating between 300-400MW of wind power.

The ministry is also exploring ways of utilising solar energy, particularly in areas such as Wadi Rum, although the application of the technology is more long-term, according to Jibril.

"Jordan has tonnes of potential for our amount of sunlight, but the technology is just not competitive or mature enough yet," he noted.

The Kingdom is also in the running for pilot projects for the Euro-Mediterranean solar energy plan which aims to establish a solar energy power gird in the Mediterranean region capable of exporting energy to Europe, he noted.

Earlier this year, Jordan became a founding member of the International Renewable Energy Agency, a 72-country international body formed to promote and support renewable energy applications across the world, he said.

The agency, spearheaded by Germany, Denmark and Spain, was officially established in Bonn in late January, and will aid Jordan in capacity building and expertise exchange in wind and solar energy, according to Jibril.

Under the National Energy Strategy, the Kingdom aims to generate 600 megawatts of renewable energy in 2015, and produce 1,200MW of wind and solar energy by 2020, some 10 per cent of the country's energy needs.

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