Monday, Dec 21, 2015
Abu Dhabi: Enviromena Power Systems, an Abu Dhabi-based international solar photovoltaic integrator, and the TSK Group, a Spanish engineering, procurement and construction contractor, have been awarded a contract to build a 103-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Jordan’s southern region of Al Quweira.
Jordan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will fund the $128 million (Dh470.14 million) solar plant through a grant from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, Enviromena said on Monday.
“This is the largest project Enviromena has been awarded to date and is indicative of the growth of our company and the regional market. The project is very significant and puts the company in the global rank. We look forward to it,” Sami Khoreibi, Enviromena’s CEO, told Gulf News.
“The Al Quweira solar plant will be crucial to Jordan’s energy diversification programme and significantly reduce the kingdom’s reliance on expensive hydrocarbons, helping it to reach its target of adding 600 megawatts of solar and wind power by 2016.”
He expects the industry to grow with tremendous growth opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
“There is a huge potential as the cost of solar power comes down. We are looking at projects in parts of North Africa and Gulf region,” he said.
There has been a lot of emphasis on solar power projects in the region, with the UAE announcing a number of projects.
Dubai is targeting 3,000 mega watts (MW) of solar power by 2030, which is 15 per cent of the overall energy mix.
A 13MW solar plant has already been commissioned and another plant of 200MW capacity is under construction in Seih Al Dahal, between Hatta and Dubai.
The Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (Adwea) plans to build a 350 megawatt (MW) solar plant at Sweihan, east of Abu Dhabi, Reuters reported last week.
With over 30 projects in six countries, totalling over 40 MW, Enviromena has the largest installed capacity of solar photovoltaic projects in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the company. The company has projects in Mauritania, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
By Fareed Rahman Senior Business Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
