Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) renewable energy company Masdar has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Jordan's national power utility National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) for a 200 MW solar power project in Jordan. The project, estimated at US$300m, will be linked to the Al Muwaqqar substation located approximately 10 km outside Amman. Once connected to the national grid, the solar PV plant will generate enough power to supply around 110,000 homes and avoid around 360,000 tCO2/year.
The project, along with the 117 MW Tafila wind park (InfraMed 50%, Masdar 31% and EP Global Energy 19%) commissioned in December 2015, is expected to help Jordan reach its 2020 goal of producing 15% of its domestic electricity consumption from renewable sources. Today, the kingdom imports around 96% of its energy at a cost equivalent to 20% of its national GDP. Combined, the two projects will account for nearly 18% of the 1.8 GW of renewable energy Jordan plans to install by 2020.