UPDATED 1 Sept: The EI library in London is temporarily closed to the public, as a precautionary measure in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Knowledge Service will still be answering email queries via email , or via live chats during working hours (09:15-17:00 GMT). Our e-library is always open for members here: eLibrary , for full-text access to over 200 e-books and millions of articles. Thank you for your patience.
New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Largest renewables project in Jordan comes online
8/3/2023
The Baynouna Solar Energy Company, a joint venture between Masdar and Finnish investment and asset management group Taaleri, has announced the formal inauguration of the 200 MW Baynouna Solar Park – thought to be the largest clean energy project in Jordan.
Developed through a power purchase agreement between Masdar and National Electric Power Company, Jordan’s state electricity provider, the Baynouna Solar Park is expected to produce over 560 GW/y of energy – enough to power an estimated 160,000 homes. According to the joint venture, the plant will also displace 360,000 t/y of CO2, equivalent to taking nearly 80,000 cars off the road.
At the formal inauguration, His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said: ‘Ambitious, transformative partnerships like these are precisely what we need if we are to deliver on the promise of the Paris Agreement and continue to ensure that we are holding back emissions, not progress.’
His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa Bin Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary representative of the UAE to Jordan, added: ‘The UAE is committed to helping our brother nations in the region achieve their clean energy objectives and we stand ready to share our expertise further with the government and people of Jordan and to help deliver sustainable economic development.’
Financial institutions that supported the Baynouna project include the International Finance Corporation, the OPEC Fund for International Development, the KfW Group’s DEG, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Geothermal news
Masdar has also announced a strategic investment in Indonesian-based Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE). PGE has been operating geothermal facilities in Indonesia for 40 years, with a portfolio capacity exceeding 1.87 GW.
Commenting on the news, Dr Sultan Al Jaber commented: ‘Achieving the 1.5°C target set out in the Paris Accords will require humanity to leverage all sources of low-carbon energy, including sources that are currently under-utilised, like geothermal. Through its investment in PGE, Masdar is demonstrating its continuing commitment to Indonesia’s energy transition and its support of one of the major focus areas of the upcoming COP28, which is to provide practical energy security solutions while reducing emissions.’
Indonesia is planning to increase its installed geothermal capacity from 2.8 GW in 2022 to 6.2 GW by 2030. The government is targeting net zero emissions by 2060 and having renewables provide 23% of the energy mix by 2023.
