Jordan inaugurates $148M wind farm in Maan

Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif on Sunday in Maan inaugurated a wind energy project to generate electricity, funded by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The $148-million project aims at supporting the national economy and developing Maan, and comes in implementation of Royal directives to adopt alternative energy sources in order to reduce the energy bill as well as create job opportunities for Jordanians.

The inauguration ceremony was held at the project’s site near Al Hussein Bin Talal University in the presence of KFAED Director General Abdulwahab Ahmad Al Bader, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Hamad Al Duaij, Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Santiago Cabanas and representatives from Elecnor, the company conducting the project.

The State-owned project is expected to generate 200 gigawatt/hour annually and is “the first of its kind”, Saif told Petra, commending Kuwait’s role in funding the project.

He said the government prioritises the use of local energy sources, especially renewable energy, to contribute to addressing the energy crisis in the Kingdom and increase the share of alternative energy sources to the energy mix to 20 per cent by 2025.

At the end of the inauguration ceremony, former minister Ahmad Al Khattab, representing the Maan community, thanked Saif and the two ambassadors, in addition to the project’s supporters for their contributions to develop the area and serve national economy, Petra, reported.