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Masdar signs Jordan wind and hydrogen pacts

6 December 2023

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Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) has signed a joint development agreement with the Jordanian Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources (MEMR) to develop a 1GW wind project with a battery energy storage system (bess).

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of establishing a green hydrogen plant in the country has also been inked.

According to Masdar, the study will examine the feasibility of establishing a green hydrogen project near Aqaba Port to produce the “most cost-competitive hydrogen, utilising desalinated seawater, and dedicated renewable power”.

Saleh al-Kharabsheh, minister of energy and mineral resources in Jordan, said signing these agreements will help advance the ministry’s priorities and the Economic Modernisation Vision covering the years 2023 to 2033.

The programme includes investment in green hydrogen production projects, which are “part of Jordan’s initiatives to transition towards the use of clean energy as it aims to achieve net zero”.

Masdar signed an MoU with MEMR to explore developing renewable energy projects with a total capacity of up to 2GW on the sidelines of Cop27 in Egypt last year.

Masdar has maintained a presence in Jordan for almost 10 years. In 2015, it delivered the 117MW Tafila wind farm. It is also the developer and lead partner on the 20MW Baynouna project, located east of Amman.

Hydrogen push

Jordan is preparing to sign five new green hydrogen deals during the Cop28 climate summit, MEED reported in November.

This follows the signing of several MoUs with partners for four planned green hydrogen and derivatives facilities in the country.

The MEMR signed deals with the following companies on 14 November:

  • Amarenco (Ireland)/H2 Global Energy (Switzerland) 
  • Kawar Energy Company (local)
  • Philadelphia Solar Energy Company (local)
  • Enertrag (Germany)

Kawar Energy plans to set up a production facility with an annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia, while Philadelphia Solar Energy Company intends to establish a plant that can produce 100,000-200,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of green ammonia.

Enertrag’s plan involves creating a site capable of producing 200,000 t/y of green ammonia.

A consortium comprising Ireland’s Amarenco and Switzerland-based H2 Global Energy said its planned project in Jordan is estimated to require an investment of €9bn ($9.7bn). 

Upon completion, the facility aims to produce 1 million metric tonnes of green ammonia a year. The production process will require up to 4,500MW of renewable energy capacity.

Photo: Masdar

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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