‘Tafileh wind farm to begin initial operations by end of April’

AMMAN — A 117-megawatt wind farm in Tafileh, 180km southwest of the capital, will begin its initial operations by the end of this month, producing electricity from five turbines, Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said Monday.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Saif as saying that the project is scheduled to start operating commercially by the end of August

The Jordan Wind Project Company is implementing the JD205 million venture, the minister said, noting that it is the "first project of its kind in the region".

The company has finished setting up 13 out of the planned 38 turbines in the project, executed on a build-own-operate basis, according to Saif. Each turbine produces 3 megawatts.

The wind farm aims at increasing the use of renewable energy to reach 10 per cent of the total energy mix by 2020, he added. 

The Jordan Wind Project Company signed a purchase agreement with the National Electricity Power Company (NEPCO) in November 2013, and received the required funds in February 2015, which allowed it to begin implementation based on the timeline set in the agreement, Petra reported.

The wind farm is expected to produce around 400 gigawatt hours per year, which will be connected to the Rashadieh Transformer Station affiliated with NEPCO, producing 2 per cent of annually generated power.

The project offered 200 job opportunities during the construction phase, and is providing 100 during the operational phase, which will be at least 20 years. 

The wind farm will also contribute to decreasing annual carbon emissions by 40,000 tonnes, Petra reported.