Acceleration Of The Renewable Energy Transition In Jordan

Amman, 20 March 2019 – RES4Med&Africa held a business-to-government (B2G) workshop focused on the acceleration of Jordan’s renewable energy transition, investigating the long-term energy strategies and grid
solutions for integrating renewable energy systems, for attracting investments and for exploiting the socioeconomic benefits of renewables. Jordan has made significant progress to create an enabling environment for renewable energy investments and promulgating laws that enable effective integration of RE into the grid. However, barriers such as a lack of comprehensive and timely energy strategies that go beyond 2025 targets, concerns about the grid’s stability and its flexibility to integrate higher renewable capacity, and unexpected changes in the regulatory framework have slowed down Jordan’s growth in renewable energy.
The event, carried out in collaboration with EDAMA, gathered the private and public sector to discuss what is needed to accelerate this transition process. On the one hand, the discussion focused on long-term energy strategies, investigating the opportunities presented by the electrification of final consumptions as well as plans to improve the grid infrastructure to secure flexibility and smooth integration of RE. On the other hand, the conference also privileged a discussion on the socio-economic benefits of renewable energy in terms of job creation and local content.

The workshop was opened by Rasmi Hamzeh, CEO of JREEEF, H.E. Dr. Jawad Anani, Former Deputy Prime Minister, and H.E. Fabio Cassese, Ambassador of Italy in Amman. Setting the context speeches were
delivered by Yacoub Marar, Director of the Renewable Energy Department of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, by Karim T. Kawar, President of Kawar Group, by Muna Al Mousa, Head of Energy
Conservation Section at EMRC, and by Roberto Vigotti, Secretary General of RES4Med&Africa.

A discussion panel focused on the long-term energy strategies as mechanisms for exploiting new business models for effective integration of renewable energy. John Shehata, an Associate Partner at PwC, concluded
with a focus on the role that Energy Service Companies play in improving the grid operation and the integration of RE.

During the workshop, “Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Development in Jordan”, a new position paper carried out by RES4Med&Africa in collaboration with EDAMA and Pöyry, was presented. The paper focuses on the
current status of the renewable energy sector, highlighting which barriers slow down Jordan’s renewable energy transition and which mechanisms would instead scale-up the deployment of RE technologies.
“Jordan’s commitment to renewable energy is evident: much has been done, but a country with such great potential and with such a positive track record has what it takes to do more” stated Roberto Vigotti,
Secretary-General of RES4Med&Africa, “This is why we are here today: to discuss, private and public sector together, on how to give a new impetus to the renewable energy transition. We’re sure the country will
manage to achieve its objectives, and we hope – through events like this one – to play our part in making Jordan’s renewable energy transition a reality”