ACWA Power switches on 50 MW solar farm in Jordan

• The PV project, that was tendered by Jordanian utility NEPCO in 2017, will sell electricity at $0.059/kWh. The plant is situated at Jordan's Risha area, which is approximately 300 km northeast of Amman.

Saudi Arabian energy group ACWA Power has ended building a 50 MW PV electricity plant in Risha, Jordan.

The business stated in a media release the solar park began commercial operations at the start of the month, after the completion of required commissioning and startup evaluations.

Reaching COD over the specified time period indicates their dedication to reliably providing clean energy at reasonable tariffs for Jordan and adds to their broad portfolio of renewable energy projects throughout the area, said Thamer Al Sharhan, ACWA Power's managing director.

The project was tendered by National Electric Power Co. (NEPCO), Jordan's state-owned power utility, in 2017. ACWA Power won the tender with a bid of JOD 0.42 ($0.59)/kWh over a period of 20 years. The plant can be found at Risha, in Mafraq Governorate, approximately 300 km northeast of Amman, the national capital. More specifically, the facility is located in a military zone 4 kilometers from the Iraqi border, adjoining to the present 150 MW Risha gas turbine power plant, that is owned and run by CEGCO, a unit of ACWA Power.

The $69 million project was funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Germany's Deutsche Investitions- Und Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh (DEG), a subsidiary of KfW Group, along with Arab Bank. EBRD donated $27.6 million.

ACWA Power is also constructing another 60.9 MW PV array in Mafraq, ET Solutions AG, the German unit of Chinese PV module supplier ET Solar, is now building the project in partnership with China's Northwest Power Design Institute (NWPDI), a unit of China Power Engineering Consulting Group. The plant will sell power to NEPCO under a 20-year PPA at a price of JOD 0.043/kWh.