Renewable Energy & Sustainability Heroes by GineersNow Engineering GineersNow Engineering Magazine Issue No. 017, Ren | Page 62

ACWA Power Donates a 2.6 MW Solar Power
Plant to King’s Academy
King’s Academy in Jordan has signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
ACWA Power – a leading developer, investor,
co-owner and operator of a portfolio of power
generation and desalinated water production
plants – to design, develop and construct a Solar
Photovoltaic Facility (PV) on the school’s campus.
The full cost of the 2.6 MWp plant has been
donated by ACWA Power to King’s Academy,
amounting to US $4 million. The plant will offset
the equivalent of 2,300 metric tons of CO2 and
power the equivalent of 350 households.
The MoU was signed by King’s Academy
Chairman HE Bassem Al-Salem and ACWA Power
Chairman Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan, in the
presence of Headmaster John Austin. According
to the agreement, the plant will be operational by
the spring of 2018.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Al-Salem
expressed his thanks and appreciation to ACWA
Power for their generous support.
“The school’s operational costs will be
significantly reduced by shifting to clean &
sustainable energy upon completion of this
project, which will positively impact the school
budget in coming years,” he said.
Al-Salem explained that around 42% of
King’s students receive some form of financial
assistance. “As a non-profit, without this kind of
support King’s Academy would not be able to
continue providing a first-rate education to young
people who do not have the financial means to
pay for it.”
“ACWA Power is proud to contribute to the
enhancement and sustainability of King’s
Academy as we believe in the importance of the
school’s message and vision,” said Abunayyan.
“King’s Academy is not only a school for Jordan;
when HM King Abdullah founded this school
it was a gift to the Arab world. Today, we see
students here from across the region and the
world, and this is testimony of the Academy’s
earnest efforts towards delivering a high quality
education empowering future generations with
the right skills and exposure,” Abunayyan added.
The solar power plant will provide King’s with a
safe, reliable and economical energy supply that
will contribute to the school’s goal of sourcing
its electricity needs through renewable and
sustainable means.
ACWA Power is a developer, investor, co-owner
and operator of a portfolio of power generation
and desalinated water production plants with
a presence in 11 countries in the Middle East,
North Africa, South Africa and South East Asia.
King’s Academy solar power plant is one of
ACWA Power’s latest corporate sustainability and
responsibility initiatives in Jordan. The company is
the largest independent power producer in Jordan
with capacity of 1,665MW.
Earlier this week ACWA Power signed a Power
Purchase Agreement with NEPCO in respect
of the development, financing, construction,
ownership and operation of a new 61.3 MWp
photovoltaic project in Risha, a province in
Eastern Jordan.
Coinciding with celebrations marking the 10th
anniversary of the opening of Kin