38 companies to bid for Green Corridor project

AMMAN — Some 38 international companies have qualified to submit bids for a $170 million project to increase the capacity of the national grid, the energy minister said on Monday.

A committee studied 82 technical and financial proposals and shortlisted the applicants to 38 companies, said Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ibrahim Saif.

The winning bidders will be selected in November and December, and the Green Corridor project will be operational by the end of 2018, Saif told The Jordan Times. 

The Green Corridor project will boost the grid’s capacity by an additional 1,000 megawatts (MW) to absorb the loads generated by new renewable energy projects.

The grid’s capacity currently stands at 3,600MW.

The European Investment Bank has extended a $72 million loan to finance the Green Corridor project, while the French Development Agency has provided a $54.9 million soft loan and the National Electric Power Company has contributed $12.6 million, in addition to an EU grant of $20.2 million offered under the Neighbourhood Investment Facility.