NEPCO signs deals for two phases of Green Corridor project

AMMAN — The National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) on Thursday signed two agreements to implement two phases of the Green Corridor project to transfer power generated in the southern Kingdom to the load centre.

NEPCO Director General Abdel Fattah Daradkeh said the project comprises three phases, expecting the tender of the third phase to be floated within the following two weeks, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The first tender agreement includes building a new sub-station in Maan, 220km south of Amman, and was awarded to a Saudi company at a cost of JD19 million, Daradkeh said.

He added that the second agreement entails providing and installing converters at the Maan sub-station, and was awarded to an affiliate of an international company at a cost of JD3.4 million. 

The third tender will include installing connections between the Maan sub-station and the Qatraneh sub-station, Daradkeh said, noting that the cost will be announced at the time of signing.

Tender procedures were completed in accordance with the terms of financers and NEPCO, he added, noting that work on the first two phases will start within the next two weeks, and the entire project will be operational by 2018.

The Green Corridor project, which will be established in the southern region of the Kingdom at a total cost of $172 million, is among major schemes aimed at accommodating power generated by renewable energy sources.

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

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