AMMAN — Several renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 500 megawatts will be operational in 2015, a senior government official said Tuesday.

The solar and wind projects will generate between 1,500 to 2,000 gigawatt hours, Hamzeh Tarawneh, an official representing the Energy Ministry, said at Solar Tech Jordan 2015, held by Green World Conferences.

The projects will create between 2,000 to 3,000 jobs, Tarawneh said at the opening of the two-day event, attended by several investors, vendors and stakeholders from various countries to explore renewable energy potential in the Kingdom.

Jordan, which is committed to facilitating the implementation of renewable energy projects, has already laid down the legislative basis for such ventures and has signed several agreements in this regard, the official noted.

Such projects, Tarawneh said, are crucial to face the country’s rising energy bill and reduce the National Electric Power Company’s (NEPCO) losses.

NEPCO’s cumulative deficit, as a result of disruptions in Egyptian gas supplies, stood at around JD4.5 billion by the end of last year, according to Finance Ministry figures.

Tarawneh, who reviewed several renewable energy projects that are already under implementation, said the Kingdom is on track to realise its strategy to increase renewables’ contribution to the overall energy mix to 10 per cent by the year 2020.

He added that the small-scale installation of renewable energy systems for houses, mosques and hospitals is also on the rise, and the total capacity of such projects stands at 30 megawatts at present.

Also speaking at Solar Tech Jordan 2015, Derek Michalski, president and CEO of Green World Conferences, said the event provides a platform for looking into potential projects.

“There are investors and vendors from different countries at the event from Europe and elsewhere. This is an opportunity for building partnerships,” he told The Jordan Times.

“Jordan is a pioneering country in the Middle East and North Africa when it comes to the field of renewable energy. There is large potential for cooperation in such projects and participants will be briefed on legislation and regulations governing this issue,” Michalski added.

At the gathering, participants, customs officials and regulators reviewed laws regulating renewable energy.

They also highlighted incentives provided in this field by Jordan, which imports about 97 per cent of its energy needs.

The Kingdom has one of the highest annual daily averages of solar irradiance in the world with an estimated 330 days of sunshine per year, while wind speeds in the country are as high as 7.5 metres to 11.5 metres per second in hilly areas.