China’s Trina Solar to invest in huge Jordanian solar farm project

Trina Solar Ltd, the world’s fourth largest solar panel maker, is poised to invest up to US$200 million in a major solar power project in Jordan.

The Jordan Investment Board said a delegation from Trina Solar held talks with Jordan’s Ministry of Energy about the US$200 million project, which would be one of the first commercial solar energy projects in the country.

The heightened interest in solar power projects is being driven by Jordan’s recently approved Renewable Energy Law. The law, drafted in 2009 and passed by Jordanian Parliament this May, clears the way for investment in renewable energy projects and provides tax incentives for alternative energy projects.

Jordan’s National Energy Strategy calls for renewable resources to account for 10% of the country's energy mix by 2020.

Following the law's passage, some 60 local and international firms have tendered proposals for wind and solar energy projects. Jordan is negotiating with 20 of these firms to establish a series of small- to medium-scale solar and wind power plants ranging from 10 MW to 80 MW.

The drive for renewable energy comes amid continuing disruptions in Egyptian gas supplies, which supplies 10% of Jordan’s requirement of 300 million cubic feet for the country's power plants.