Jordan plans to award 300 megawatts of renewable projects by the end of this year, according to Ziad Jibril Sabra, assistant secretary general in the Ministry of Energy.
Four solar projects and two wind plants are planned, each producing 50 megawatts of electricity, Sabra said Monday in an interview in Abu Dhabi. Jordan aims to have 1,600 megawatts of renewables by 2020, split evenly between solar and wind, he said. Companies have until Feb. 15 to register expressions of interest, he said.
“Our target by 2020 is to generate about 20 percent of our electricity from renewables,” Ibrahim Saif, Jordan’s energy minister, said in the interview. Of the 1,600 megawatts planned, 1,300 is already contracted in two stages, Sabra said. The remaining 300 megawatts will be the third round, he said.
“Round one and round two were a learning exercise, round three everything is ready,” Sabra said. “I hope we receive lower prices.”
Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power International earlier on Monday signed an agreement with Jordan to build a solar plant with electricity at 5.88 cents per kilowatt hour, the lowest bid in Jordan, according to ACWA Power.