Amman, 12 June 2006 – The Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Amat Al Aleem Ali Alsoswa who is now in an official visit to Jordan, is visiting today the first ever Plant in the Middle East and one of the few globally, that converts waste to energy.
Like most other developing nations around the world, Jordan disposes waste the old fashion way either by burying it or burning it. The consequences of the destructive gases released by the garbage into the air have devastating consequences for environment and especially for the ozone layer.
Government of Jordan in collaboration with UNDP, the Government of Denmark and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) established in the year 2000, the Biogas Plant, an innovative project that turns waste into energy.
The Plant has been operating since then, producing electricity at 1MW, which is a vital function for an oil poor country that spends millions to import oil for energy. While the amount of energy produced is still a fraction of the hundreds of megawatts needed for Jordan, the Plant is considered as a model and a crucial first step in a sustainable future for the Kingdom and a real step in contributing to a cleaner world environment
UNDP continues to support the Government of Jordan in its endeavors to promote the utilization of renewable energy. A project agreement was singed this year, building upon the success of the previous project and on the infrastructure that is already in place.
In cooperation with the Jordan Biogas Company and Amman Municipality, the new project agreement aims to expand the Plant and increase the production of the electricity from 1 Megawatt to 3.5 Megawatts
This project is concurrent with the Jordan’s National Energy Strategy which calls for a decreased reliance on conventional sources of energy, and by reducing these gases released by the garbage it is considered a cornerstone of the historic international Climate Change treaty named the Kyoto Protocol.
For further information, kindly contact Ms. Amal Dababseh, UNDP Environment Consultant at tel. 566 8171 ext. 220 or Eng. Hatem Ababneh, Biogas Plant Project Manager at 079 5598961