Orange Jordan looks to solar energy to cover 50% of its needs

AMMAN — Almost half of Orange Jordan’s energy needs will come from solar power by the end of this year, according to Raslan Deiranieh, the company’s deputy CEO. 

The company has floated a tender for building a solar farm to meet some 50 per cent of its energy needs, Deiranieh recently told The Jordan Times. 

“At the end of February, we will select the company which will build and run the project on land owned by [Orange Jordan],”
he added. 

The project, which is expected to be operational at the end of 2015, will generate some 25-30 million kilowatts a year, which covers half the company’s annual needs of 55-60 kilowatts, according to Deiranieh. 

“With the recent increase in electricity prices, the company’s energy bill rose by about JD1 million annually,” he said, noting that its power tariffs rose by 5 per cent this year. 

“Electricity prices are one of the main challenges facing telecom operators nowadays. So resorting to renewable energy will help reduce the burden,” Deiranieh said. 

The solar energy project, which will be managed by the winning bidder, will save the company around JD3 to JD5 million a year, he added. 

According to Deiranieh, the company’s annual energy bill stands at about JD16 million.  

The government introduced regulations in 2012 paving the way for so-called net-metering, under which Jordanians and companies can install renewable energy systems to generate power. 

Several renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 1,800 megawatts (MW) will be connected to the national power grid by the end of 2018, according to the Energy Ministry. 

Under the country’s energy strategy, electricity generated from renewable sources will represent about 10 per cent of the energy mix by 2020.

Jordan annually imports about 97 per cent of its energy needs.