Jordan, Germany explore prospects of joint energy academy to serve as regional hub

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati on Tuesday called for creating a new Jordanian-German energy academy to serve as a regional technical support hub.

The minister held a meeting with a German delegation headed by President of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peter Ramsauer, former federal minister of transport, on boosting cooperation in the fields of technical development and support.

Zawati urged Germany to support the establishment of the academy for capacity building and expertise exchange, according to a ministry statement.

She also discussed with the delegation the possibility of allowing Jordanian engineers and technicians to join the labour market in Germany to further bolster investments in both countries.

The minister extended an invitation to the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry to participate in the Jordanian-German Energy Day, next July.

She also welcomed the idea of holding the 2020 Arab-German Forum in Jordan, the statement added.

For his part, Ramsauer expressed the chamber’s readiness to cooperate by opening new markets and enabling Jordanian industries to meet the EU requirements.

He also expressed his country’s keenness to bring in the necessary expertise in for Jordan to maintain sustainable development and improving capacities.

The energy sector in Germany is undergoing radical transformations as a result of the shifts towards clean and renewable energy sources, he added, pointing to the gradual shut down of the traditional nuclear power stations and coal plants, he added.

German Ambassador to Jordan Birgitta Siefker-Eberle and Amman Chamber of Industry General Manager Nael Hussami attended the meeting.