Germany calls on Jordan to emulate its transition to renewable energies

AMMAN — The German embassy on Wednesday organised a workshop to discuss the ways in which the Kingdom could benefit from Germany’s energy transition, encouraging officials to take further steps towards establishing renewable energies. 

Louy Qoaider, professor at the German Jordanian University, introduced Germany’s energy transition (Energiewende) to the attendees, on behalf of the Renewable Energies Academy (Renac) in Berlin.

The professor explained that the Energiewende started 27 years ago, driven by public demand, initiating a transition to a renewable energy system guided by three core principles: affordability, reliability and care for the environment. 

After outlining the progress that Germany has experienced following the application of the Energiewende, Qoaider remarked that “the energy sector is a substantial supply for the economy of both Jordan and Germany,” adding that renewable energies are “not only environmentally competitive, but also economically successful”.

In this regard, the professor highlighted how the Energiewende resulted in the creation of 300,000 new jobs by 2016, 14.2 billion euros in energy investments last year, and a reduction of 8.8 billion euros in costs of energy imports in 2015.

Furthermore, Qoaider pointed out that renewable energies are domestically produced, “increasing the country’s independence by reducing the ties with energy supply countries”.

The workshop continued with the intervention of Iyad Al Sartawi, director of the Energy Services Centre in Amman, who stated that Jordan “needs to transfer to renewable energies by learning from the German experience”, pointing out that “the strategy would need to be adapted to our local economy”.

Sartawi highlighted the 2010-2020 Energy Strategy, noting that the main goals are “to use mixed energy resources, to increase the share of local resources in the energy mix, to reduce the dependence on imported oil, and to enhance environmental protection”.

To reach these goals, Sartawi referred to the maximisation of domestic resources, the development of more renewable energy projects, the provision of a financial framework to support energy efficiency programmes, annual budget allocations and foreign donations. 

The director also cited the Green Corridor project, which he described as a
“multicomponent programme to reinforce Jordan’s high voltage electricity backbone network for the integration of more renewable generation capacity”.

The investments are reinforcing the network in the central Jordan desert area, where the circumstances for renewable energies are more favourable. 

The workshop was wrapped up by Royal Scientific Society representative, Mohieddin Tawalbeh, who outlined the different energy efficiency laws in the Kingdom and the legal framework for the development of renewable energies.