Irbid company to buy solar-generated power from projected plant

AMMAN — The Irbid District Electricity Company on Monday signed an agreement with Philadelphia Solar to buy power generated from its projected 10-megawatt (MW) solar-fuelled plant.

The JD16 million facility is expected to be operational in mid-2015, according to Philadelphia Solar.

“The plant, which is located in the Northern Badia in Mafraq Governorate, will help reduce pressure on the government amidst an increasing energy bill,” Abdulrahman Shehadeh, founder and chairman of Philadelphia Solar, said prior to signing the agreement.

Stressing the importance of the project, Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed said the government is going ahead with renewable energy projects in implementation of the National Energy Strategy, which envisions an increase in renewables’ contribution to the overall mix of energy resources.

“This is the first power purchase agreement between a renewable energy project and a power company,” Hamed noted.

The minister added that memoranda of understanding were signed with several companies for implementing renewable energy projects, with around 45 firms expected to submit their technical and financial offers by the end of September. 

Of the total, four companies will be selected to build four plants with a total capacity of 200MW.

The minister added that some wind and solar energy projects will be implemented through grants from Gulf Cooperation Council countries.