Six companies shortlisted for wind farm project in south

AMMAN — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has selected six international companies that qualified on the technical basis to implement wind power project tender in the southern region of the Kingdom.

The project that is designed to generate electricity at a capacity of 50 megawatts (MW), and it is also part of the third round of direct tenders, a ministry statement said on Monday.

The shortlist of bidders includes Mass Group Holding, ACWA Power, R&B Global Projects, Sam Green Power, Alcazar Energy and Lamsa.

Energy Minister Hala Zawati said the ministry will soon look into the financial offers from the six companies, to choose the one with the most competitive price and, accordingly, assign the tender for the project, which will increase wind energy contribution to the total energy mix by up to 667MW of the total generated renewable energy.

Regarding the third round of solar project tenders, Zawati said that the ministry called on the two companies with the highest rank to negotiate the project’s terms and conditions so as to refer the 100MW project to the first ranked company and the 50MW project to the company that ranks second, all in order to sign the agreements duly.

The generating capacity of renewable energy projects under construction and development to be launched in 2021, is marked at 1,270MW, which will increase the combined capacity of renewable energy stations by up to 20 per cent of the total electricity generated in the same year and also achieving the envisioned goal in the energy strategy before the date set in the year 2025.

The combined generation capacity of electricity from renewable energy sources reached 1,130MW by the end of 2018 and it is expected to reach 2,400MW by the year 2021.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced the third round of direct tenders for renewable energy projects in December of 2016, Petra noted.

In regards to solar energy projects, the first phase, the ministry has implemented 12 projects, 10 of which are in Maan, one in Irbid and one in Aqaba with a total capacity of 204MW, all went operational in 2016.

The second phase included four solar energy projects, each of which generates 50MW; three operating in the Mafraq Development Zone and one in Safawi area in the eastern tip of Jordan, the statementsaid, adding the third phase includes solar energy projects in Maan at a capacity of 150MWs, which are expected to enter the operational stage in the year 2020.

There is a project belonging to Masdar Company in Muwaqqar area, with a capacity of 200MW. There are also generating companies’ projects in the Risha area in the eastern desert and east Amman at a capacity of 90MW, in addition to a project implemented by Philadelphia Company in Al Husseiniya, 170km south of Amman, with a capacity of 50MW.

There are other solar energy projects implemented through different grants in Qweira at a capacity of 130MW, Azraq at 5MW, Zaatari at 11MW and projects still under implementation in the south of Amman at 40MW, in addition to a project in Azraq at a capacity of 6MW.

As for wind energy projects, they are concentrated in south of the Kingdom, most significant of which is the Wind Project Company’s project in Tafileh, at a capacity of 117MW, Petra reported, adding there are six projects from the first phase of direct tenders with a total capacity of 420MW, three of which are in Tafileh and the other three in Maan.

Moreover, there is a wind energy project being implemented through a Gulf grant in Maan, at a capacity of 80MW.