Lafarge Jordan orders 15MW solar plant

Lafarge Cement Jordan's Rashadiya cement works is to reduce production costs by generating some of its electricity by solar power. The cement producer is contracting Adenium Energy Capital to build a solar plant for the facility, which is located in the southern governorate of Tafileh.

Lafarge Cement Jordan shareholders approved the solar energy project back in April, but an agreement with Adenium Energy Capital to build the15MW solar park was only signed last week, with Adenium announcing that the construction will start in early 2017, and expected to be completed by the third quarter of the year. 

“It is a build-own-operate project with a private off-taker that will be financed on a non-recourse basis,” commented Adenium CEO Wassef Sawaf. “The solar plant will provide substantial saving to Lafarge’s electricity bills and is a great example of how renewable energy can add real bottom-line value to the private sector.”

The project fits into the country’s renewable energy strategy, in which Adenium is playing a big part. The company has been an active solar developer in the country, announcing last month that it had recently commissioned 57MW of solar projects in Jordan. This capacity was spread across four projects, each benefitting from 20-year power purchase agreements.