Ammon News - The Seventh International Investment Forum for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in the MENA region kicked off in Amman on Sunday with broad Arab and international participation.

HRH Prince Asem bin Nayef patronized the opening the ceremony of the high-profile event organized by the Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC).

The three-day forum will cover a wide range of topics including renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart cities, smart grids, green hydrogen, and sustainability.

In opening remarks, AREC President Issa Kuwari said that one of the top priorities of the Arab world's energy transition and sustainable development is to build a strong infrastructure and achieve electrical interconnection between Arab countries, which, he stressed, are critical to the Arab world's overall progress and prosperity.

He emphasized the importance of serious and innovative scientific research in enabling Arab societies to achieve a qualitative leap in development at all levels, noting that his home country, Qatar, will host the first carbon-neutral World Cup.

Amani Al-Azzam, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, stated that Jordan has faced numerous challenges in the energy sector over the past decade, the most significant of which was its total dependence on energy imports, which surpassed 98% in 2011, causing the Kingdom to incur significant losses in the energy sector and the overall economy.

Therefore, she continued, Jordan needed to plan ahead for self-sufficiency and diversification by establishing policies for affordable, safe, sustainable, and reliable energy.

Al-Azzam indicated that 2,500 megawatts of the Kingdom's total energy output come today from clean and renewable sources, noting that renewables accounted for 26 percent of the nation's total 2021 energy consumption.

She stated that Jordan has seen a major jump in the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years, with the total number of EVs in the Kingdom currently around 37,000, accounting for 2 percent of all vehicles on the Kingdom's roads, with plans to increase this percentage to 30 percent by 2030.