Kharabsheh announces criteria for renewable energy projects surpassing 1mw capacity

AMMAN — Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Saleh Kharabsheh on Tuesday announced criteria to allow the implementation of renewable energy projects with a capacity of more than 1 megawatt in a bid to stimulate the economy, attract more investments and increase jobs.

Kharabsheh said that the Cabinet decision includes new and existing investments depending on the expected consumption and technical limitations on the power grid according to certain standards that were set for this purpose, according to a ministry statement.

Regarding the implementation criteria, the minister said that new industrial investments or expansions to existing industrial investments will present an evaluation study to the energy performance before embarking on the implementation of the new project or expanding existing ones.

Kharabsheh said that the criteria also stipulates that the local workforce must be at least 70 per cent and the product must meet the conditions of local products, where the sales percentage in the local market should not exceed 50 per cent, stressing the importance of these facilities to commit to regulations issued by the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission.

He also said that work is currently ongoing to apply the criteria of the decision, stressing the importance of the move as part of the ministry's endeavour to utilise renewable energy resources and increase their contribution in generating electricity from 26 per cent to 50 per cent by 2030. 

The minister also called on national companies working in the renewable energy sector to take advantage of the available investment opportunities in the sector, especially since Jordan enjoys abundant renewable energy resources due to its location on the Sun Belt.