China's Trina Solar has agreed to design, build, operate and maintain a 10 MW solar project in Jordan.
The company signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement for the project, located in Aqaba, Jordan, with Jordanian solar energy company Shamsuna Power.
Foursan Capital Partners will hold a 85% stake in the Shamsuna solar project, with Shamasuna owning 15%.
The World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) and a small syndicate of lenders is financing the project.
Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in December with completion and grid connection expected in the second quarter of 2015. Once the plant is completed, Trina will provide operation and maintenance services on the project based on a five-year service agreement.
The solar farm, located in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, southeast of Aqaba, will employ 40,320 Trina 250Wp TSM- PC05A modules. Once operational, it will be the largest solar farm in Aqaba.
Jordan's National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) will buy all of the output generated by the project under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) backed by a full sovereign guarantee from the Jordanian government.
The project will generate more than 19 gigawatt hours of power annually, helping to meet the growing demand for electricity in Jordan and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 11,500 tons a year.
"We are excited to be part of this groundbreaking project and are proud to have been accepted by IFC as the engineering, procurement and construction provider for this project," said Qi Lin, president of Trina's PV Systems Business Unit. "The project provides us with valuable first-hand experience in operating a solar system in a desert environment, as well as substantial knowledge of local grid companies that will help Trina Solar accelerate its pace of project development in the Middle East."
The Jordanian government has introduced new incentives to encourage the development of solar projects throughout the country with the aim of increasing renewable energy contributions to 10% of the country's generation mix by 2020, Lin noted. "We look forward to playing a meaningful role in Jordan's efforts to develop its solar sector and to leveraging Trina Solar's global brand, proven track record and technological expertise to rapidly penetrate the broader Middle East market."
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