The largest utility scale wind power plant in the Middle East ? Tafila Wind Farm ? was inaugurated in Jordan
The 117MW wind farm is directly connected to the national grid and will produce 400 GWh of electricity annually.
The project is in line with the country?s vision to diversify energy sources and promote greater reliance on renewable energy. The Tafila Wind Farm was developed in response to the 2010 renewable energy law, calling for around 10 per cent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. Jordan imports around 96 per cent of its energy needs at a cost equivalent to 20 per cent of the country?s GDP.
The plant is owned and managed by the Jordan Wind Project Company.
The wind turbines are expected to produce electricity at less than half the cost of generation for conventional power sources .The project will save the government around US$50mn every year, and will supply approximately 3.5 per cent of the country?s annual electricity consumption.
Chairman of Jordan Wind Project Company Samer Judeh said, ?The Tafila Wind Farm will contribute towards achieving energy security. The project is a quantum leap not only for Jordan but the Arab world as a whole, as it is the first to implement an effective solution for Jordan?s energy challenges through a partnership between the public and private sectors. We believe the project will stimulate the investment climate for similar renewable energy projects in Jordan to take place and will make Jordan a new and important destination for renewable energy investments in the region.?
Jordan Wind Project Company (JWPC) is an international collaboration that includes France?s InfraMed Infrastructure Fund, the UAE?s Masdar and Cyprus? EP Global Energy.
Jordan?s minister of energy and mineral resources Ibrahim Saif added that Jordan has been emphasising the importance of renewable energy sources in recent years. ?The government is implementing a number of studies and programmes that improve and develop the use of alternative energy sources, in addition to efforts to create an attractive investment climate in the field of renewable energy.?
