The Tafila Wind farm is now online and helping to power Jordan and the Middle East. This 117 MW wind farm is the first and largest utility wind power plant in the country, and is directly connected to the national grid. Estimates find that the farm should produce 400 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year.
His Majesty King Abdullah II inaugurates the Tafila Wind Farm (seen with Samer Judeh Chairman of Jordan Wind Project Company) (PRNewsFoto/Advvise)
The project is in line with a royal vision to diversify energy sources and promote greater reliance on renewable energy. The Tafila Wind Farm was developed in response to the 2010 renewable energy law, calling for around 10 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. Jordan imports around 96 percent of its energy needs at a cost equivalent to 20 percent of the country’s GDP.
His Majesty King Abdullah II announced the official launch of the wind farm before taking a tour of the plant, which is owned and managed by the Jordan Wind Project Company. At JD85 per megawatt-hour, the wind turbines will produce electricity at less than half the cost of generation for conventional power sources. According to sources, the project will save the government around $50 million every year, and will supply approximately 3.5 percent of the country’s annual electricity consumption.
In his speech at the event, Chairman of the Jordan Wind Project Company, Samer Judeh, said the wind farm’s 38 massive turbines draped with the proud Jordanian flag would not be here had it not been for His Majesty King Abdullah’s vision and great leadership. Judeh added that His Majesty “spares no effort locally and internationally to promote investment in Jordan. This oasis of stability in an otherwise very rough neighborhood.”
“The Tafila Wind Farm will contribute towards achieving energy security. The project is a quantum leap not only for Jordan but the Arab world as a whole, as it is the first to implement an effective solution for Jordan’s energy challenges through a partnership between the public and private sectors,” added Judeh. “We believe the project will stimulate the investment climate for similar renewable energy projects in Jordan to take place and will make Jordan a new and important destination for renewable energy investments in the region.”