Jordan continues to attract significant foreign investment into its renewable energy sector.
Abu Dhabi-based Masdar Group has announced plans to set up a 200 MW solar power project in Jordan. The project shall be the largest solar power project in Jordan. The project development will be overseen by Masdar subsidiary Baynouna Solar Energy Company.
Masdar and Jordan’s energy ministry had signed an agreement to develop the project in January 2016 during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Jordan’s National Electric Power Company has now signed the power purchase agreement with the project developer.
Once commissioned, the project will generate enough electricity to meet the demand of around 11,000 households and offset around 360,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
In January 2016, it was also reported that Masdar had joined hands with ABB for the development of solar power projects in Jordan. Substations, required to link power plants to the power grid, and inverters supplied by ABB are already operational at various solar power projects in Jordan.
Jordan has set a target of installing 600 MW of solar PV capacity and 1,200 MW of wind energy capacity by 2020 to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels. The country has already conducted a number of auctions to allocate solar and wind energy projects and is planning to conduct more in the near future.
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