The Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) has given developers more time to reach a financial close on solar photovolataic (PV) projects, with the longest extension until May 2016.

A number of developers expect to reach a financial close in December 2014 or January 2015, and start construction in early 2015.

US company Sun Edison has reached a financial close on its 20MW PV plant in Maan Development Area in southern Jordan.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) and US development agency the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Opic) are providing $50m of financing for Sun Edison’s project.

Construction is set to begin in February 2016 and take six months, with the plant expected to come online in early 2016.

PPA agreements for the 12 solar PV projects were signed in June 2014 with the National Electric Power Company (Nepco).

The financing has been lined up for several months, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) playing a leading role. IFC will provide loans worth $91.5m from its own account, while another $116m will be mobilised from Arab Bank (Bahrain), Europe Arab Bank, the Dutch development bank FMO, Finnish development agency FinnFund, and Opec’s Fund for International Development, for seven of the projects.

The EBRD and the French development agency Societe de Promotion et de Participation pour la Cooperation Economique (Proparco) will provide $100m of financing for Norwegian firm Scatec Solar’s projects in Jordan, with local partners.

Some sources involved with the projects report that the delays are due to issues with land around Maan, although MEMR denies this is the case. Others say the project does not appear to have been a priority for the various government bodies involved, raising doubts about the second round of proposals.

Developer interest remains high for the second round of solar PV projects, which aims to select four 50MW projects totalling 200MW.

MEMR has delayed the deadline for submission of second round proposals for the third time, until 20 January 2015, while both the government and developers finish preparing documents for the first round.

The original deadline was 6 July 2014.

The third round of the programme was cancelled in July, although MEMR did not provide a reason for this. MEED reported at the time on suggestions that MEMR and Nepco lacked both human and grid capacity to manage three rounds of projects simultaneously.