Company granted licence for Maan solar-run power plant

AMMAN — Jordan on Saturday granted a licence to a local company to start procedures for building a solar-run power plant in the Kingdom’s southern region.

The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) granted a licence to Falcon Maan for Solar Energy to build a 21-megawatt solar-run power plant in Maan Governorate, some 220k south of Amman, EMRC Chief Commissioner Farouq Hiari said in an e-mail sent to The Jordan Times Saturday.

Total investment in the plant, which was granted a 20-year licence, stands at $51 million, Hiari added.

This increases to 13 the number of overall licences granted by the commission to renewable energy projects, he said.

Stressing the importance of renewable energy, Hiari noted that the commission is keen on implementing such projects that help increase reliance on local resources and meet the rising energy demand.

The commission, he added, seeks to facilitate investments in the field and look into all applications for renewable energy project licences.

Jordan, which imports 97 per cent of its energy needs annually, is implementing a strategy to increase the contribution of renewable energy to the overall energy mix to 10 per cent by 2020.