When 97 percent of a nation’s energy is imported, every renewable energy gift counts. Jordan received a $300 million grant from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which Minister of Energy and Transportation Alaa Batayneh says will be used to develop a host of solar and wind energy projects in southern Jordan, The Jordan Times reports.
Although the Hashemite Kingdom has also resorted to exploring oil shale in order to bolster its near non-existent energy sector, last year’s passage of the Renewable Energy Law and a World Bank loan will start the long process of ensuring that by 2020, 10% of the kingdom’s energy will be produced in-house, and that it will be clean.
The new GCC grant will be used to produce wind and solar plants that will have a total capacity of 125 megawatts of renewable energy, the paper reports.
A 50-75 megawatt solar plant and a 75-100 megawatt wind plant will be built in the Maan and Aqaba governorates and that is just the beginning.
The GCC states decided last year to give Jordan a total of $5 billion over the next five years. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar will each contribute $1.25 billion to the aid package.
While Jordan has set an ambitious goal to build wind and solar plants with a combined generation capacity of 1200 megawatts by the end of the decade, it is first necessary to finalize pricing details – an issue that has thus far caused significant delays.
“After years of failing to look ahead, we don’t want to lose any more time,” Batayneh told the paper.
“We want to finalise these agreements and boost investment in the sector.”
:: Jordan Times
Image of wind and solar energy, Shutterstock
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
