Cablegate: Strong Jordanian Interest in Attending Wirec 2008

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

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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

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