QAIA operator seeks to establish solar farm

AMMAN — The Airport International Group (AIG) — the Jordanian company responsible for the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) — is planning to implement a project to generate electricity from solar energy at the airport.

The AIG has published a request for expression of interest, inviting companies to submit proposals to build a photovoltaic (PV) solar farm at the airport with a total capacity of up to 10 megawatts.

The company plans to establish a PV solar farm to supply the airport’s electricity needs, according to the expression of interest document published in local media outlets.

The qualified firm or consortium of firms will finance, design and build the PV farm, in addition to obtaining all necessary permits and permissions to operate and maintain the facility for around 16 years, the advertisement said.

Officials at AIG and the airport were not available for comment on the projects.

In Jordan, the annual daily average of solar irradiance ranges from 5-7 kilowatt hours per square metre.

Meanwhile, the wind speed in Jordan is around 10 metres per second in some places in the country, which makes it a favourable location for wind farms.

However, renewable energy projects in Jordan only contribute 3-4 per cent to the national electricity grid. 

The Kingdom’s energy strategy entails increasing renewable resources’ contribution to the national energy mix to reach 10 per cent by 2020.