VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAM #4235 2911258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181258Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0632

UNCLAS AMMAN 004235 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ELA (RANA AND ALLEN) 
OES FOR WIREC ACTION GROUP (SPECHT, HILL) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG EPET ECON EINV SOCI JO
SUBJECT:  Strong Jordanian Interest in Attending WIREC 2008 
 
Ref: A) STATE 138428 
     B) AMMAN 2442 
 
¶1.  Post highly recommends that Jordan be invited to join the 
Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 
scheduled for March 2008.  The Government of Jordan (GOJ) has 
expressed strong interest in attending the WIREC, as renewable 
energy is key to its national energy strategy, and Jordan needs 
every opportunity available to build and share knowledge in this 
field.  According to Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) 
Secretary General Khaldoun Qutishat, an official WIREC delegation 
 
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from Jordan would most likely include the Minister of Energy and 
Mineral Resources; the Minister of Environment; the Secretary 
General of the Higher Council of Science and Technology (HSCT), de 
facto the Science Ministry; the Head of the National Energy Center; 
and the Jordanian Ambassador to the United States.  The HCST 
Secretary General will be in Washington November 6-7, and will most 
 
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likely raise the WIREC during a meeting with PDAS Harnish, U.S. 
co-chair for the JCM. 
 
¶2.  Jordan is a country with no oil resources and growing energy 
demands that currently account for 22% of Jordan's GDP.  As a 
result, King Abdullah created a royal committee led by Prince Hamzah 
Bin Al Hussein to review the GOJ's national energy strategy which 
should be finalized within the next month.  MEMR has indicated that 
renewable energy will figure prominently in the new strategy. 
 
¶3.  Qutishat also noted that the GOJ has already drafted a new 
renewable energy law that it plans to submit to parliament when it 
reconvenes after legislative elections in November.  The law would 
allow for the establishment of a multi-million dollar renewable 
energy fund to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy, for 
which $3 million has already been pledged. 
 
¶4.  In addition to several wind projects currently underway in 
Jordan, the GOJ is also exploring projects to turn solid waste to 
energy, a nuclear energy program, and solar energy projects (ref B). 
 A U.S. consultancy team led by Sam Odeh, CEO of the Global Energy 
American Coalition of Companies, has also been advising Jordan at 
the GOJ's request on the potential of using ethanol. 
 
¶5.  The Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST) also views 
renewable energy as one of the critical areas for research and 
development in Jordan.  Jordan is keen to set up a renewable energy 
working group under the recently signed bilateral Science and 
Technology (S&T) Agreement, and the S&T Joint Commission Meeting 
(JCM), currently scheduled for January 2008, could lead to the 
establishment of such a group. 
 
¶6.  Given the above reasons, post believes that Jordan could be a 
key contributor to dialogue, a model in the region, and significant 
benefactor of information gained in the WIREC meetings. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.gov.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
 
HALE