Deadline extended for bids on Green Corridor project

AMMAN — The government has extended, for the second time, the deadline to receive bids to implement the Green Corridor project, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif as saying on Thursday.

The $159.7 million project aims at increasing the national grid's capacity to absorb the loads generated by new renewable energy projects, Saif told Petra.

He said the deadline has been extended for two weeks starting Thursday and might be prolonged until the end of January in response to a request from the concerned companies. 

The project, to be established in the southern region, is a priority scheme for the sector, and will support the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), according to Saif.

The project is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the national grid through building a substation in northern Maan, extending power cables and expanding the Qatraneh and Queen Alia International Airport stations.
Moreover, the project is in line with the national strategy aimed at increasing the contribution of renewable energy resources to the total energy mix to 10 per cent by 2020.

The European Investment Bank extended a $72 million loan to finance the Green Corridor project, while the French Development Agency provided a $54.9 million soft loan and NEPCO contributed $12.6 million, in addition to an EU grant of $20.2 million offered under the Neighbourhood Investment Facility.

Government-owned NEPCO is the party responsible for the tender and its implementation, according to Petra.