Jordan: EU grants 90m euros to support renewable energy
Jordan will sign an agreement with the EU granting the Kingdom 90 million euros (around JD72 million) in support for renewable energy projects, Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said Thursday.
The grant will fund the second phase of the renewable energy programme, Saif said at an event celebrating the completion of the first phase, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The first stage of the EU-funded project provided technical support to renewable energy projects, and cost 40 million euros.
The minister stressed the project’s contribution to the national strategy for the energy sector, and said it had helped build institutional and technical capabilities for all partners, particularly the Energy Ministry and the National Energy Research Centre.
He added that the two-year project provided necessary technical help to the Jordan National Building Council and the Public Works and Housing Ministry to implement new codes for energy efficiency in construction.
Saif commended the EU’s role in supporting the Kingdom’s efforts to boost the sources of local energy, especially renewable energy, minimising the costs of the energy bill.
For his part, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed the importance of the project, describing it as key support to develop investments in the renewable energy sector.
The national strategy for renewable energy in the Kingdom aims to provide 10 per cent of the energy mix from renewable energy sources and save 20 per cent of the current energy consumption, Petra reported.
