Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (Nepco) to develop a 61.3MW photovoltaic (PV) solar plant at Risha in Jordan.

MEED reported in January that Acwa Power had signed initial contracts with the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources (MEMR) to develop the solar plant. The developer signed the PPA with Nepco, under the auspices of the MEMR, on 28 March.

The agreed tariff of JD42 fils a kilowatt hour (kWh) is the lowest tariff for a utility-scale solar scheme in Jordan, breaking the record set for the 50MW Mafraq PV project, which is being developed by Acwa Power under the second round of Jordan’s direct proposal renewables programme.

The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2019. The PV solar facility will be located in Risha, a province in eastern Jordan, and will provide enough power to provide electricity for 12,000 households, according to Acwa Power.

Speaking at the contract signing in January, Acwa Power’s chairman Mohammad Abunayyan said that while Acwa would be investing in the construction of the plant, Jordan’s Central Electricity Generating Company (Cegco) would be operating and maintaining the facility. Acwa Power acquired the main stake in Cegco in 2011.

“We are proud to have Cegco playing this role,” said Abunayyan.

MEED reported in March 2016 that Acwa Power had acquired Sunrise Solar Energy, which had been awarded the contract to develop the Mafraq independent power project. The tariff for the scheme was equal to about 6.13 $cents/kWh.