In the presence of Sultan Al Jaber – Launching the largest solar power station in Jordan
Bynuna Solar Energy, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), a global renewable energy leader, and Finnish investment and asset management group Taaleri, has officially launched the Bynuna Solar Power Plant in Jordan.
The plant has a production capacity of 200 megawatts, the largest of its kind in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Jordanian Prime Minister Dr. Bisher Al-Khasawneh, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Chairman-designate of COP28 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Masdar, Dr. Saleh Kharabsheh, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Jordan, Sheikh Khalifa bin Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and a number of senior officials from the Jordanian government and Masdar Company.
“In line with the wise leadership’s directives to implement projects that promote sustainable development, spread clean energy solutions on a large scale and support effective climate action, we are pleased to launch the joint Bynuna plant with the Jordanian government to consolidate the strong brotherly relationship between the UAE and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and this project will contribute to supporting the achievement of the Kingdom’s climate and clean energy goals, as well as providing new jobs and supporting the economic development process”, said Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber.
Through the Bynuna Solar Plant and the Tafila Wind Power Plant project, Masdar is contributing to Jordan’s efforts and goals of providing 29 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, raising that percentage to 50 percent by the end of the decade. These qualitative and ambitious partnerships are a model of solutions that advance progress towards the Paris Agreement goals and support economic growth while reducing emissions.
As part of its unwavering commitment to supporting climate action, the UAE will focus during COP28 on moving from the goals to their completion, achieving tangible results in mitigation, adaptation, financing, losses and damage, and continuing to work to avoid global warming exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, he said.
For his part, Dr. Saleh Kharabsheh, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Jordan, said: “The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, in accordance with the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II to make Jordan a regional center for green development, and out of its belief in the importance of developing local energy sources, especially sustainable ones, to achieve security of energy supply, promote self-reliance and reduce the effects of climate change, is constantly striving to develop its plans and strategies to be in line with international developments in the field of energy transformation. It is currently implementing a package of projects that will make Jordan a regional center for exporting green energy, both in the form of electricity from renewable energy sources and in the form of green hydrogen, in keeping with the commitment to implement the economic modernization vision recently launched by the government.”
He added that the ministry aspires to surpass the goals set in the energy sector strategy for the years (2020-2030) by raising the contribution of renewable energy to electricity generation to 50% by 2030, and supporting projects to shift towards electric transport and green hydrogen production, taking into account the strengthening of the electricity network and enhancing its stability through the shift to smart grids, the establishment of projects for storing electric power, and the implementation and expansion of electricity linkage projects with neighboring countries and the world, and that the time has come to maximize the benefit of all available tools and technologies in order to overcome the challenges posed by renewable energy .
If we look at the world today, we see that renewable energy, especially solar and wind, is the fastest growing and most widespread source of renewable energy, supported by its low prices, the development of technologies and its multiple uses. We in Jordan are trying to keep abreast of these developments and adopt them, which contributes to the global goal of combating climate change and reducing carbon emissions for zero.”
