The official opening ceremony of this milestone project took place on October 10th in the presence of His Excellency the Prime Minister of Jordan, Hani Al-Mulki. Included in the crowd of over 600 guests were a number of current and past ministers, and Ambassadors of Japan, UK, USA, Italy and Qatar.
The Wood Group business provided a suite of services to the project lenders including technical design review, evaluation of the EPC and O&M contracts, construction support and performance test monitoring, paving the way for the project to be energised.
After a 16 month construction phase the project which is jointly financed by Mizuho Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), will provide vital energy security to the surrounding towns and cities.
Thaer Abu Irhayem, Chief Technical Officer at Shams Maan Power Generation, said: We are pleased that the hard work of all parties involved has seen this landmark project through to operation. In a bid to create alternative energy solutions for Jordan, this solar plant is an important step in the right direction.
Project Manager at SgurrEnergy, Arnau Girona, said: It has been a great pleasure working with the parties involved in Jordans largest solar plant. As solar power becomes more recognised as a viable and attractive energy generation method, projects like Shams Maan can set a precedent for future energy generation in Jordan. Well look forward to further supporting the development of solar power in the Middle East.
David Short, a director at Mizuho Bank commented: At the time, Shams Maan was the largest solar PV project to be financed in the Middle East and the only one to be financed by commercial bank lenders. This is a good example of how project finance can be effective in the region and shows how renewables transactions in the region are viable and it shows that the economics of it were actually competitive with other forms of power available.
SgurrEnergys solar experience in the Middle East region includes various phases of the landmark DEWA and ADWEA tenders in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and many projects in Egypt. Shams Maan is owned by a consortium consisting of Diamond Generating Europe Ltd., Nebras Power Q.S.C., and Kawar Group.
