Foundation stone laid for 52MW solar power plant in Madounah

AMMAN — The foundation stone for a 52-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic power plant, dubbed “AM Solar”, was laid on Wednesday at a total cost of $50 million, in the Madounah area in eastern of Amman.

The plant is a joint venture between US Applied Energy Services-Jordan, the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui and Qatar’s Nebras Power, on a build, own, operate basis, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the inauguration ceremony, Energy Minister Hala Zawati said Jordan is “seriously” working to benefit from sunlight to generate environment-friendly energy, especially that Jordan has 300 days of sun over the year.

Jordan has been investing in many renewable energy projects according to an energy strategy, based on a future outlook that takes into consideration energy security and independence, local resources, as well as low production costs, Zawati added.

The minister noted that renewable energy sources currently contribute 800MW, adding that the goal is to reach 1,600MW of renewable energy by 2020, which constitutes 20 per cent of energy consumed in the Kingdom.

Amjad Rawashdeh, director general of the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), said that the project is one of several schemes that are currently implemented in the Kingdom, thanks to the promising legislative environment that encourages investments in the renewable energy sector. 

Sahab mayor, Malek Khreisat, said that the energy sector exerts pressure on the national economy and citizens, noting that renewable energy projects are an important economic and environmental alternative that can alleviate burdens facing the national economy. 

Faisal Siddiqi, power business development director at Nebras, said that the project is the result of the encouraging investment environment in Jordan, expressing hope that the scheme can contribute to achieving the government’s vision to reduce the import of electricity.

AM Solar officials expected the project to be linked to NEPCO’s grid during 2019, with expectations to generate a total of 77 gigawatts of electricity annually.