KFAED ‘partakes’ in launch of Jordan wind power plant

Project costs $150 millionMA’AN,

Jordan, April 3, (KUNA): The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) participated on Sunday in the launching of a wind power plant in Maan Governorate, some 230km south of Amman.

The KFAED’s financial aid to the project is part of a donation pledged by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for development projects in Jordan.

The launching ceremony was attended by KFAED Director-General Abdulwahab Al-Bader, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Amman Hamad Al-Duaij and Jordanian Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif as well as several other Jordanian officials.

Speaking to KUNA, Al-Bader said the $-150-millon wind power station is mainly intended to produce 80 megawatts of wind power.

He added that the project, together with the recently launched Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad port project in Aqaba, are vital projects that aim to provide low-cost energy in Jordan.

Al-Bader noted that April is the beginning of the fifth and last year of the timetable for Kuwait’s $1.2-billion grant to Jordan.

On his part, Jordanian Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said to KUNA that the wind power plant is of paramount significance to Jordan, noting that his country really needs sustainable projects, mainly in the energy sector.

He highly appreciated the Kuwaiti government for its contribution to this “vital and significant” project launched in Maan, which is the largest governorate in Jordan.

Also speaking to KUNA, Eng. Farouq Al-Atawna, the project manager, underlined the importance of the project due to the high cost of gas and oil energy.

He elaborated that the project includes the installation of 40 wind turbines with a rated power of two megawatts, and that it would be linked to the country’s national power grid.

He added that the Jordanian government plans to invest around $4.5 billion in the renewable energy sector by 2025.

Wind speeds in Jordan are as high as 7.5 meters per second and up to 11.5 meters per second in hilly areas.