THE PRIVATE SECTOR RENEWABLES
“TODAY EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ENERGY EFFICIENT, GREEN AND RENEWABLE. IT’S NOT AN OPTION, IT’S A MUST”
As Executive Chairman of the Jordan Wind Project Company, Samer Judeh was one of the co-founders of the pioneering Tafila wind power project. In our interview he tells the story how Jordan, a country with virtually no natural resources in energy, has built up a US$4 billion renewables sector By Axel Reiserer, OPEC Fund
OPEC Fund Quarterly : What were the origins of the Jordan Wind Project Company (JWPC) and the facility in Tafila? Samer Judeh: The company was founded back in 2012 for the purpose of financing and operating the Tafila wind farm project. The lead developer, EP Global Energy (EPGE), was the first investor. Later we attracted other players such as Masdar, the renewables developer and operator from UAE, and InfraMed, a French-led infrastructure investment fund. Our mandated bank for Tafila was the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector arm, but from the outset it was important to us to have the OPEC Fund on board too. OFQ : What makes the Tafila wind farm project stand out? SJ: It was a landmark project. Tafila was the first and largest privately sponsored utility-scale renewable energy project in the Middle East and the region at that time. We worked with the government
and the national power company to develop the necessary legislation and regulations. It was pioneering work, because they became templates for all the later projects not only in Jordan, but also in Egypt and the region. OFQ : How did investment in renewables progress in Jordan? SJ: When we started, back in 2010, there was no investment in renewable energy in Jordan. Today, we have a stock of investments in excess of US$4 billion in solar and wind. The installed capacity is about 2,700 MW. The Tafila wind farm was pioneering because it was the first and it paved the way for many other projects, which were able to replicate the same model. It has been incredibly busy, yet productive. My phone has not been switched o ff since 1995. OFQ : And one of these calls was between you and the OPEC Fund? SJ: IFC worked with us on a debt package and we evaluated potential lenders. The OPEC Fund was one of
Samer Judeh Samer Judeh is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Jordan Wind Project Company. Mr. Judeh has been instrumental in the development, construction, operation and management of the 117 MW Tafila wind farm. He was also the founder and chairman of the Shamsuna power company, which developed, constructed and is currently operating the first utility-scale solar project to connect to the Jordanian national grid. A Jordanian businessman, he has over 30 years of experience in renewable energy, information technology, security and infrastructure. Judeh holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, Washington DC.
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