Jordan to award Spanish firm solar contract

16 March 2014

Spain’s Atersa Group prepares for award of photovoltaic project in Azraq in Jordan

Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) is in the final stages of negotiation with Spain’s Atersa Group Elecnor for the award of a $5m contract to build a grid-connected solar plant in Azraq, say sources close to the project.

The expected capacity of the plant is 2MW and it will use photovoltaic (PV) technology. In 2013, seven other firms bid for the renewable energy project, to be located 110km east of Amman in the Zarqa governorate.

Costs for the project will be covered by a Spanish-Jordan bilateral debt swap agreement.

PV plants are highly energy intensive and use polysilicon ingots and solar panel systems to create electricity.

MEMR is pushing ahead with several solar projects as part of its efforts to utilise renewable energy to meet the kingdom’s growing electricity demand. In October 2013, MEMR prequalified 15 companies for a contract to build a 65MW-75MW solar PV plant in Quweira, in southern Jordan.

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