Last month, Jordan took a major step toward achieving increased
independence from imported energy. In the coastal city of Aqaba, the
kingdom’s very first utility-scale PV project broke ground. The
10-megawatt (MW) Shamsuna Project is scheduled to enter into full
operation when construction is completed in October of this year.
Spearheaded by a partnership between Desert Technologies and Enerray
SpA, the Shamsuna Project is the first of 12 renewable energy projects
under management by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR).
Jordan’s National Electrical Power Company (NEPCO) is backing the
project with a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Nour Mousa, CEO of Desert Technologies, called the Shamsuna plant an
“exciting landmark project” that will secure Jordan’s unique position as
the first major solar PV market in the Middle East. Michel Scandellari,
General Manager of Enerray SpA, said the project and others like it
will “ensure a balanced and diversified energy mix and sustainable
growth for the region.”
Jordan’s high reliance on foreign energy sources, which stands at approximately 97 percent, is the impetus behind the kingdom’s investments in solar
and wind power projects. Other planned large-scale PV projects in
Jordan include the 23-MW Falcon Project in the southern region of Ma’an,
which will also be headed up by Desert Technologies and Enerray SpA.
The Falcon Project is expected to break ground in August of 2015.
The Desert Technologies-Enerray SpA partnership is leading a number
of other renewable energy projects throughout the Middle East and
Northern Africa, in which the joint venture will act in the capacity of
EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) and O&M provider.
Recently, Egypt awarded Desert Technologies and Enerray two 50-MW solar
PV projects and one 50-MW wind project under the country’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT), which should drive the construction of up to 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar capacity on a Build, Own and Operate basis. “Given the energy shortages in Egypt, renewable energy is essential
for the country’s continued economic and industrial growth,” Scandellari
said.
Marc Norman,
an associate with U.S. law firm Chadbourne & Parke, said, “Jordan
has been at the forefront of the Middle East's renewable energy
revolution because the business case there is so strong – and keeps
getting stronger.”
Norman added that the work done by the Jordanian government, along
with project developers and financiers, will serve as a blueprint for
the entire region. “Grid parity is the new reality,”
Norman said. “We are now entering into a very exciting new phase where
large private electricity consumers are keen to procure renewable energy
independent power projects to limit upfront costs and (often
dramatically) reduce their electricity bills. In a region where almost
everything is government-driven, this is a little revolution in itself.”
Desert Technologies was formed in 2012 following the purchase by Al
Jeel Al Hader Trading Company of U.S.-based EPV Solar’s production lines
and R&D labs. It formed its partnership with Enerray SpA parent
Maccaferri Group in 2013. A year after acquiring a 75 MW crystalline
silicon assembly line, Desert Technologies’ portfolio has grown to
include $400 million in solar projects, with an estimated $1 billion of
projects in the planning stages.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/07/first-ever-utility-scale-solar-pv-project-breaks-ground-in-jordan.html