A new wind farm is planned nearby the Jordanian city of Jerash. Located 48 kilometers north of Amman, the site is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture outside Italy.
Yet another Middle Eastern country is looking to wind power for a quick solution to an ever-increasing population. This time it’s Jordan, which unlike its Gulf neighbors hasn’t been blessed with vast reserves of oil and gas, that hopes to harvest the winds sweeping the desert kingdom. The Jordanian daily Jordan Times is reporting that the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals are conducting negotiations with the Greek firm Terna Energy SA over the country’s first wind power plant.
The plant in question will be located close to the city of Jerash in northern Jordan with a production capacity of 40 megawatts. If everything goes according to plan the new facility will be up and running by 2013, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khalid Irani told the paper.
Long term goals
Jordanian Authorities has given priority to wind power as a key part of the Kingdom’s strategy for greater energy independence, with a new initiative known as the Renewable Energy Law that allows the ministry to negotiate with companies directly, and requires proposals for projects to state fixed electricity tariffs. The new law is expected to account for 1,600MW by the year 2020.
More projects in the pipeline
In addition to the plant at Jerash, the Mineral and Energy Ministry is also talking to 16 companies from across the planet about the construction of a 90 megawatt wind power farm at Shobal some 200 kilometers or 124 miles south of the capital Amman.
Other future projects include a wind power plant in Fujeij, in the southern part of the country and a small-scale wind turbine farm in Kamsheh.
According to Jordan Times, the main obstacles to concluding the agreement were the high tariffs and prices quoted for electricity included in the proposal. Officials have indicated that the prices were based on high oil prices due to the economic situation when the proposal was crafted in late 2008.
Plan B or Plan N
While wind power is one of the ways that Jordan is dealing with electricity demands, the kingdom is also pursuing a peaceful nuclear energy program with cooperation from 11 countries ranging from the U.S. and France to Japan.
:: Jordan Times
More on Jordan:
Jordan Society for Renewable Energy’s Eco-House Education
Unholy Waters: The Jordan River is Nearly Dead, Maurice Reports
Tareq Emtairah’s Practical Eco-House in Aqaba, Jordan
Photo via jemmasmith
