Sunny development

The Ministry of Energy recently confirmed that the government will soon decide on the winner of the tender to build the first $150 million solar plant in the south of the country.

This shows that the government is determined to go on utilising renewable sources of energy to the fullest, a step absolutely needed in any country that values its environment and even more so in one that lacks oil, gas or water, like Jordan.

The projected solar plant will be located in Al Qwaira and will have a capacity of 65 megawatts. 

While this step is going to help solve the acute energy crisis in the country, even more heartening is the fact that is Al Qwaira plant, funded in part by the $5 billion grant made available by the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2011, is going to be only the beginning of a series of other solar energy projects.

If everything goes according to the plan, Jordan will have assured 500 megawatts from renewable sources of energy by the end of 2015, an ambitious plan that further aims to increase dependence on renewable sources of energy from its current 2 per cent to 20 per cent by 2020.

This puts Jordan on the right track and should encourage it to diversify its sources of energy to the maximum.

The country enjoys on average about 330 days of sunshine annually, which makes sun ideal for producing energy.

The country’s vision for ending its energy crisis through a series of innovative ideas will eventually cut down considerably on its energy bill, which consumes much of its budget.

Not to be forgotten should be the uranium and oil shale deposits, which have yet to be exploited.

It took a while for things to follow their logical course, but it is hoped that now, with the Qwaira plant, the train has been put in motion and will not be stopped in its tracks.