Jordan to select 4 firms to build solar power plants

The Jordanian government will choose four companies out of 45 qualified local and international firms to build 50-megawatt (MW) solar-run power plants as part of efforts to boost reliance on clean energy, the energy minister was quoted by local media on Thursday as saying.

The Ministry of Energy has completed the signing of memoranda of understanding with 45 local and international companies which have until July 6 to submit their technical and financial offers, Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

"When we get the offers, specialised teams will start assessing them. We expect to announce the winning companies in September this year," Hamed said.

The four 50-MW solar-run power stations will be located in the Mafraq Development Zone and the northeastern region of the Kingdom, he added.

Jordan, which consumed around 16.7 gigawatts of electricity in 2013 -- a 7 per cent rise compared with 2012 -- is keen to diversify its energy resources and boost reliance on local resources, added Hamed.

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