Saudi company to revamp Al Hussein Thermal Power Station

AMMAN — The government and Saudi company ACWA Power on Monday signed an agreement to revamp Al Hussein Thermal Power Station at a capacity of 485 megawatts and a $500 million investment.

The project is vital, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, because the current thermal station is old and was expected to go out of service soon.

ACWA Power, a key investor in the Central Electricity Generating Company (CEGCO) since 2010, will rehabilitate the station at the same site, under the agreement, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour.

The project will provide the Kingdom’s power grid with around 12 per cent of its needs, according to Petra.

At a meeting with ACWA Power Co. Chairman Mohammad Abunayyan, and CEGCO board members, Ensour said energy agreements worth over JD2 billion have been signed this year, highlighting investors’ confidence in the country’s economic climate.

The premier stressed that the government will not incur any debts in this project, since the Saudi company will cover the cost of revamping the station, whereas the government will buy the generated electricity for a “fair price”.

Noting that the government hopes that the project will be implemented as soon as possible, he said a major plus is that it will help maintain the job security of the station’s 300 workers.

Ensour also voiced hope that this scheme will lead to linking the Jordanian and Saudi power grids in the future, a move that would greatly benefit the two countries and pave the way for wider interArab power grid connections, Petra reported.

Abunayyan said the project will take environ-mental, health and public safety concerns into account as well as the question of efficient productivity, noting that the project reflects the strong strategic partnership between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said implementing the rehabilitation project at the site of the station means that no new infrastructure or land acquisition are required.