WorldÂ’s largest solar project launched in Jordan

The $400 million Shams Ma'an project will create a 100-megawatt MW PV power plant at the Ma'an Developmental Area MDA Industrial Park in Jordan. The project is to be commissioned in 2012 and will cover 2 million square meters in the MDA, which itself covers 9.5 square kilometers in the south of Jordan.

The consortium, known as the Shams Ma'an Power Generation PSC, is led by Kawar Energy, which is part of the Kawar Group, and includes the Italian company Solar Ventures SpA, with the local First International for Investment and Trade Company.

The Ma'an Development Company is the master developer for the MDA. It has been charged with attracting local and international investments to the area and was created by the South Company for Construction and Development SCCD, in conjunction with the Jordan Industrial Estates Corporation and the Al-Hussein Bin Talal University AHU.

The SCCD, which is wholly owned by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, was established to develop the southern regions of Jordan by creating landmark projects aimed at socially and economically developing those regions through increased standards of living.

The MDA consists of four major areas comprising the Industrial Park, a Residential Community, a Skills Development Center and the Hajj Oasis, and an area set up for pilgrims en route to Mecca and Medina.

The Shams Ma'an project is expected to use between 360,000 and as many as 2 million solar PV or concentrating PV CPV panels, depending on the final decision about the actual technology used. CPV panels use concentrating lenses or mirrors to increase the amount of solar energy falling on a small area.

Initial forecasts indicate that the project will have a production capacity of 100 MW, although this will be expandable to a maximum of 200 MW. It is expected that the project will prevent about 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The project is expected to be performed over four major phases: evaluation, pilot study, feasibility study and implementation. Kawar Energy is negotiating power purchase agreements with the Jordanian government.

Unlike many countries in the Middle East, Jordan does not have abundant supplies of oil and gas, and relies heavily on imported energy as much as 96 of the country's energy needs are externally sourced. However, the country does have excellent solar radiation levels, and the Ma'an area records an average of 320 days of sunshine each year.

Jordan has set a target that requires 7.5 of energy needs to be sourced from renewable sources by 2015 and up to 10 by 2020. The Shams Ma'an project is aimed at establishing Jordan as the clean energy hub for technology, research and development, and training by attracting other solar technology investors and companies to the country.