Jordan targets 20% power from renewables by 2020 — Zawati

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s production of electricity generated from renewable energy is expected to cover 20 per cent of its need by 2020, compared with its current production of 11 per cent, Energy Minister Hala Zawati said on Thursday. 

Participating in the International Forum on Energy Security, Zawati said that Jordan imports 92 per cent of its energy needs with a total annual value of JD3 billion that equals 10 per cent of the Kingdom’s GDP. 

The minister noted that this figure constitutes a big burden to the national economy, where stakeholders of securing power provision have to ensure that the Kingdom avoids threats of power resources cuts.   

The event, held at the University of Jordan, was organised by the Arab Institute for Security Studies (ACSIS), Al Rai Centre for Studies and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in cooperation with the Attarat Power Company (APCO), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

She added that Jordan is connected to a gas grid with Egypt, Syria and Lebanon and is considered a transit centre, describing this connection as a “safety valve”, especially after the use of a floating gas vessel that has helped diversifying gas resources.

Electric connection is a priority for Jordan that is linked through a power grid with Egypt, Syria and Palestine, Zawati said, adding that the Kingdom seeks to connect with Iraq at a time that electric connection has become essential for reducing generation costs and increasing power security.  

In this regard, the minister expressed hope that the Kingdom will start implementing the connection with Iraq at the beginning of next year, adding that the ministry seeks to connect with the grids of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. 

Secretary General of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) Abbas Naqi said that the participation of the organisation is part of cooperation with Arab peers that are interested in energy issues.

Naqi added that OAPEC enjoys an important status in the international markets of oil and natural gas, mainly due to owning some 7.5 billion barrels of reserves that constitute 48 per cent of the international reserves.

APCO CEO Jason Pok said that the Attarat power project is the first station to generate energy from direct combustion of oil shale, which will contribute to increasing the Kingdom’s energy security and independence on the long term.

Pok also noted that the project, the first of its kind to extract shale oil, is the biggest investment of the private sector in the Kingdom with a total cost of $2 billion.