Amman- 14 May 2018

On Sunday 13th of May 2018, under the patronage of HE Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and Mr. Andrea Matteo Fontana, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and , in the presence of President of German Jordanian University (GJU), Prof. Manar Fayyad; the Biogas pilot plant of the EU funded project “Biogas Production in Local Communities in Jordan” was opened in South Shouneh.

Al-Kharabsheh stressed the importance of the project, which is based on the analysis of samples of agricultural waste to produce biogas and generate electricity.

He mentioned the ministry’s support for such projects that contribute to the promotion of local energy sources and diversification, assist to addressing environmental issues and opening more job opportunities.

Prof. Manar Fayyad said the project reflects scientific research efforts through which the university cooperated with various institutions to make it successful, highlighting GJU’s aims at putting knowledge into practice and promoting knowledge transfer.

Fayyad reviewed the importance of the project for the production of energy and pumping water for agriculture in Ghor region. She praised the role of the European Union, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the cooperation of German universities, in addition to GJU’s staff from the schools of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Applied Medical Sciences and Basic Sciences and Humanities for the success of the project.

From his side, Fontana presented the cooperation relations between the EU and Jordan in supporting energy projects, pointing out that the biogas plant is important in reinforcing the relations between the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and GJU.

The project “Biogas Production in Local Communities in Jordan” is funded by the European Union, supported by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources as contracting authority and coordinated by Dr. Mohammad Al-Addous from GJU, Dr. Christina B. Class (formerly GJU, now with EAH Jena), project partner Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)- Germany.

The project aims at promoting the production of Biogas from agricultural waste in Jordan. In order to determine the Biogas potential of different local substrates following internationally recognized procedures, a Biogas Lab was installed in the premises of GJU and opened in December 2016.

Based on the available substrates, a pilot plant was designed and installed on a local farm in Southern Ghor Valley. The plant is operated with local agricultural waste.

It is worth mentioning that the plant design is hybrid and includes PV cells and batteries to cover the plant’s electricity needs for pumping, stirring, measurement and control units as well as cooling and heating to ensure the required temperature range for anaerobic digestion. The produced biogas is filled in gas sacks as well as in small gas bottles and can be used for cooking.

A new lecture hall will equally be inaugurated at the project site allowing for presentations, training on the biogas pilot plant as well as other existing projects.

For more information on the project: www.biogas-in-jordan.org.