Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati stressed on Monday the importance of the role of the Arab League in implementing joint Arab projects in the field of energy.

At the opening of a workshop titled Arab Dialogue on the Reality of Renewable Energy in the Shadow of the Coronavirus, organised by the Arab Renewable Energy Commission, she said that the pandemic affected the implementation of energy programmes and plans in various countries of the world, including renewable energy plans.

The minister added that the challenges the pandemic imposed call for reconsidering energy supply systems to ensure their flexibility and ability to overcome any obstacles, in supply and demand, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Regardless of the challenges, the world and the Arab region have witnessed a number of achievements in the field of renewable energy and rationalisation of energy consumption in terms of building large commercial projects, increasing the volume of investment and cooperation between the public and private sectors and financing institutions to develop projects, she noted.

Zawati pointed to the global interest in producing green hydrogen using renewable energy and Jordan's interest in major projects in this field, calling for cooperation and exchange of expertise at the local, regional and international levels.

Zawati stressed the importance of electrical interconnection networks between Arab countries and the establishment of an open Arab market for the exchange of electricity.

In regard to the development of renewable energy in Jordan, Zawati explained that during the past five years, renewable energy comprised about 20 per cent of the electrical energy generated in the Kingdom compared with less than 1 per cent in 2014.

Focusing on Jordan’s energy strategy for the year 2030, she stressed that the government's partnership with the private sector put the Kingdom on the list of leading countries in the field of renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as at the global level, especially in the legislative environment and in attracting investments in this important sector.