Ministry holds workshop on renewable energy sector; Korean companies offer support

AMMAN — Korean Ambassador to Jordan Lee Bom-yon on Thursday commended Jordan for “accommodating renewable energy resources across the country”, and said that Korean companies were ready to work with their Jordanian counterparts in the energy storage system (ESS) sector.

The ambassador’s remarks came during a workshop on the Korean ESS sector, held by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which aimed at introducing the country’s latest developments in the sector and the ways in which the Kingdom could benefit from Korea’s experience.

“It [renewable energy] still has some side effects, and unlike traditional fossil fuel generation, renewable energy cannot produce energy consistently due to the fluctuating input,” Lee said during the opening of the workshop, stressing that “this is why ESS is required”. 

“ESS can absorb and level the fluctuating energy output, making it a reliable energy resource,” the ambassador continued, expressing hope that Korean companies’ experience would “give Jordanian experts a chance to look into what is needed and how it should be adopted for the best interests of the nation”. 

Organised as a joint corporate social responsibility project by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency, the workshop included presentations by experts on renewable energy, electric vehicle solutions and ESS and power systems. 

Asked about methods of translating Korea’s experience into the Jordanian energy system, head of the project development team at Hanwha Energy stressed that a pilot survey was an essential first step.

“Jumping directly into commercial projects would cause the country to bump into severe issues in the long term,” the expert warned. 

“Jordan seems very active in its approach to renewable energies with a current penetration of 5 per cent, but again, moving forward would require studies that determine the country’s situation in a holistic way,” the expert added. 

KEPCO General Manager Namgil Park said that the use of renewable energy in the Kingdom was increasing; however, reaching government targets might cause instability in energy conservation. 

“ESS would be a solution to this issue, and while it is still difficult to apply this in Jordan, there are many experiences to learn from, and we are open to further cooperation in this regard,” Park said. 

Concerning electric vehicles, Vice President of Power and Energy Systems (PNE) Yong-Woo Kim said that “in order to kickstart the use of this technology in Jordan, the government must play an active role into its implementation via the application of policies and incentives for the private sector”. 

“Jordan has a lot of potential, and feasibility studies are now being conducted in order to install commercial charging stations,” the Kim added, stressing that PNE was willing to select a series of private agents in the Kingdom to cooperate on installing charging stations.