Food production in the GCC has long faced obstacles ranging from water scarcity to a lack of arable soil – factors that are being exacerbated by climate change. Prior to Covid-19, imports accounted for 85% of the region’s collective food needs. However, the disruption to global supply chains precipitated by the pandemic – as well as the more recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia – has underlined…
– Increased demand and supply shortages have pushed oil prices to nearly $100 per barrel – The high-price environment could give rise to an increase in drilling and coal usage – Energy companies and governments say they will use the windfall to invest in renewables – Oil-producing countries in the Gulf have expanded their renewable energy commitments Amid an increase in global demand…
Despite facing a set of extraordinary external and internal challenges over the past several years, the Jordanian economy remained resilient in 2015, with real GDP growth reaching 2.4% that year. The government is working with the IMF to implement fiscal reform policies, supported by low global oil prices, to reduce the kingdom’s fuel import bill, which should have seen GDP growth and major macroeconomic…
Solar power is set to play an important role in helping achieve Jordan’s goal of having renewables meet 10% of its energy needs by 2020. Regional volatility and a lack of hydrocarbon reserves spurred the government to develop one of the most comprehensive policy frameworks for renewable energy projects in the Middle East. Currently, the solar production base includes water heaters and air conditioning…
Interview:Saleh Kharabsheh How will the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme serve to further develop and grow Jordan’s green economy? SALEH KHARABSHEH: Jordan aims to become energy independent, and we are already on track to meet our goal of producing 10% of our energy mix from renewable sources by 2020. Prices are down sharply in this market, and all incentives are set up to…
In June 2015 the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MoWI) launched the National Water Strategy (NWS) 2016-25, which aims to reduce costs and boost annual water supply by 550m cu metres through exploration, drilling and infrastructure investment. The Red Sea Dead Sea Conveyance (RSDS) project is one of the main projects under the plan; however, drilling activity in the Shidiyeh-Al Hasa deep aquifer is…
Dependent on imports and grappling with regional instability and major supply disruptions, Jordan’s energy sector has faced several challenging years. Rapid population growth, which includes the kingdom absorbing an estimated 1.3m Syrian refugees since 2011, has exacerbated existing water scarcity, especially in the northern region of Jordan. These challenges have prompted the government to pursue…
Dependent on imports and grappling with regional instability and major supply disruptions, Jordan’s energy sector has faced several challenging years. Rapid population growth – with the kingdom seeing an estimated 1.3m Syrian refugees arrive since 2011 – has also exacerbated existing water scarcity, especially in Amman and Jordan’s northern areas. These challenges have prompted the government…
The country has made progress in key areas, reducing its fiscal deficit from 10.3% of GDP in 2014, to 3.2% in 2016 and an estimated 2.5% in 2017. Real GDP growth has also seen improvement, rising from a 25-year low of 2% in 2016 to 2.2% the following year. Moving forward the focus is set to shift towards green and digital expansion in line with the country’s new mid-term economic agenda, the Jor
The expansion of Jordan’s renewable energy segment has seen a marked acceleration in recent years, with nearly 1000 MW of solar and wind projects currently being implemented. These developments dovetail with a national strategy aimed at raising the share of renewables in the energy mix to 10% by 2020, equivalent to a generating capacity of some 1500 MW. Giving The Green Light Development of renewable…