Construction 86.1MW wind farm starts commercial operations in Jordan By

The $185 million project is financed by EBRD, Proparco and DEG

Alcazar Energy, an independent renewable energy producer recently announced the completion and commencement of commercial operation of the Al Rajef wind farm in Jordan.

The plant consists of a substation and 41 wind turbines, manufactured by Siemens Gamesa, each with an output of 2.1MW, 80 hub height and total combined capacity of 86.1MW.

The $185 million project was financed by EBRD, Proparco and DEG and is in line with Jordan’s renewable energy targets and could generate approximately $15 million in gas savings from the country. In addition to this, ARWF will be saving more than 160,000 tonnes of CO2 and 380,000 cbm of water per year.

The National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), responsible for the Kingdom’s electrical power system issued the Commercial Operation Date (COD) Certificate for Al Rajef Wind Farm on 30th October 2018 facilitating the export of electricity in line with stated tariffs, the company report stated.

The company also stated that, Alcazar Energy’s delivery & operations team will further oversee and manage post-completion operation and maintenance (O&M) works of the wind farm via the appointed O&M contractors Elecnor/Siemens Gamesa who will work in collaboration to identify opportunities for local community involvement throughout the lifecycle of the project over the next 20 years.

Daniel Calderon, co-founder & CEO of Alcazar Energy said: “The COD announcement of Al Rajef Wind Farm is a significant milestone in the company’s journey and underscores our commitment to the region. Alcazar Energy appreciates the support and trust of the Government of Jordan, our partners, investors and lenders that enabled us to deliver the project on time in accordance with the PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) and within budget.”

He also stated that the company is looking forward to completing the construction of Shobak next year and wants to continue to grow their wind and solar portfolio in Jordan.

H.E. Khaled Irani, senior advisor at Alcazar Energy added: “The Al Rajef Wind Farm is a positive contribution to Jordan’s growing renewable energy landscape, and we are grateful to have the timely support and cooperation from the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources, NEPCO and the Government of Jordan in achieving this milestone together.”

Daniel Lancha, head of delivery and operations at Alcazar Energy mentioned that “the wind farm has been exporting to the NEPCO grid since April 2018 and now all 41 turbines are connected, approved and ready to serve the local community which is a proud moment for us at the company.”

The wind farm is fully-operational now and has started commercial operation.