216 J. OBEID
proposals and power wheeling schemes are not yet available, therefore
only the net-metering policy and public tenders have been adopted by
the end of 2019.
The sector was making strides in Jordan until early 2019, where
the government started halting and delaying projects. Renewable energy
installed capacity in 2017 was estimated at 609.4 MWp, namely,
395.5 MWp solar PV, 198.4 MWp wind, and 15.5 MWp hydro and
biogas projects. 21 As of end of 2019, there is approximately 1,560 MWp
in the pipeline either installed, planned, or under development, 22 the bulk
of which is in utility-scale solar and wind farms.
For its first renewable energy tenders, the government of Jordan
launched 12 projects of a total of 200 MWp in 2011 through long-term
PPA at a fixed tariff of $0.169 per KWh. They were followed by a 52.5
MWp Ma’an solar PV project of $0.148 per kWh. A few years later, the
latest off-take prices have averaged between $0.06 and $0.08 per KWh, 23
driven by Jordan’s accumulating experience in similar projects and the
associated risk reduction for investors, and the global decrease in the cost
of technologies.
Apart from renewable energy, the government of Jordan decided in
2007 to invest in nuclear power plants. Following a multi-year series of
discussions and agreements with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, Korea
Electric Power Corp, and other companies to conduct the feasibility
assessments, and a parliamentary vote to suspend the program, the Jordanian Atomic Energy Commission announced in 2013 that the Russia’s
Rosatom would build two nuclear reactors of a 2,000 MW total capacity
by the years 2023 and 2025. 24 The deal was scrapped in June 2018 as
JAEC found the project to be too costly, 25 and smaller reactors have been
under consideration since then. The road ahead for nuclear energy in the
kingdom seems bumpier as other challenges are added such as the small
grid and the scarcity of water.
In Lebanon, renewable energy stood at almost 9% of the primary electricity demand in 2018, with 7% coming from old hydropower plants,
which generated 60–70% of Lebanon’s electricity until the 1960s. Nevertheless, renewable energy deployment has been slow. Despite the award
of three wind farms and the launch of expression of interests (EOI) for
large-scale wind and solar farms ranging between 410 and 700 MWp, the
current installed renewable energy capacity is solely through distributed
generation. The installed capacity was estimated at 340.87 MW in 2018,
of which approximately 284.5 MW are from hydropower plants and
proposals and power wheeling schemes are not yet available, therefore
only the net-metering policy and public tenders have been adopted by
the end of 2019.
The sector was making strides in Jordan until early 2019, where
the government started halting and delaying projects. Renewable energy
installed capacity in 2017 was estimated at 609.4 MWp, namely,
395.5 MWp solar PV, 198.4 MWp wind, and 15.5 MWp hydro and
biogas projects. 21 As of end of 2019, there is approximately 1,560 MWp
in the pipeline either installed, planned, or under development, 22 the bulk
of which is in utility-scale solar and wind farms.
For its first renewable energy tenders, the government of Jordan
launched 12 projects of a total of 200 MWp in 2011 through long-term
PPA at a fixed tariff of $0.169 per KWh. They were followed by a 52.5
MWp Ma’an solar PV project of $0.148 per kWh. A few years later, the
latest off-take prices have averaged between $0.06 and $0.08 per KWh, 23
driven by Jordan’s accumulating experience in similar projects and the
associated risk reduction for investors, and the global decrease in the cost
of technologies.
Apart from renewable energy, the government of Jordan decided in
2007 to invest in nuclear power plants. Following a multi-year series of
discussions and agreements with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd, Korea
Electric Power Corp, and other companies to conduct the feasibility
assessments, and a parliamentary vote to suspend the program, the Jordanian Atomic Energy Commission announced in 2013 that the Russia’s
Rosatom would build two nuclear reactors of a 2,000 MW total capacity
by the years 2023 and 2025. 24 The deal was scrapped in June 2018 as
JAEC found the project to be too costly, 25 and smaller reactors have been
under consideration since then. The road ahead for nuclear energy in the
kingdom seems bumpier as other challenges are added such as the small
grid and the scarcity of water.
In Lebanon, renewable energy stood at almost 9% of the primary electricity demand in 2018, with 7% coming from old hydropower plants,
which generated 60–70% of Lebanon’s electricity until the 1960s. Nevertheless, renewable energy deployment has been slow. Despite the award
of three wind farms and the launch of expression of interests (EOI) for
large-scale wind and solar farms ranging between 410 and 700 MWp, the
current installed renewable energy capacity is solely through distributed
generation. The installed capacity was estimated at 340.87 MW in 2018,
of which approximately 284.5 MW are from hydropower plants and