Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC, better known as Masdar, and Finnish renewable energy developer Taaleri Energia Ltd have officially opened their 200-MW Baynouna Solar Park in Jordan, touted as the largest clean energy plant in the Kingdom.

The joint venture (JV) partners held an inauguration ceremony attended by Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh, government officials, the UAE Ambassador in Jordan and company representatives.

Located east of Amman, the Baynouna solar farm is operated under a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Jordan’s state electricity provider National Electric Power Company (NEPCO). Its annual output is estimated to be more than 560 GWh, or enough to cover the consumption of roughly 160,000 homes.

The Baynouna project was realised with funding from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), KfW Group's DEG and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Masdar owns 70% of the scheme, while its Finnish partner holds the remaining 30%.

Masdar, which also operates the 114-MW Tafila wind farm in Jordan, last year pledged to explore the development of 2 GW of renewable energy projects in Jordan under a Memorandum of Understanding with the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.