AMMAN: Deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh on Wednesday launched the second national plan to rationalise energy, which aims at lowering electricity consumption by 2,000 gigawatts between 2018 and 2020, with a cost of JD700 million.
Kharabsheh highlighted the importance of the plan in addressing energy challenges, at the top of which is the heavy oil bill that has constituted in some years 18 to 20 per cent of the gross domestic product, five times higher than the international average.
The plan is part of the ministry’s endeavours to realise strategic goals of the energy sector to improve energy efficiency and lower consumption by 20 per cent by 2020, Kharabsheh noted.
The minister described the plan as a “national roadmap”, which entails all programmes, projects and measures necessary to be implemented to reach all targeted indicators in cooperation with stakeholders.
The procedures included endorsing the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Law and a bylaw on the criteria for exempting renewable energy resources and their devices, and devices of energy rationalisation from customs fees and, wholly or partly, the sales tax, he added.
Kharabsheh thanked the EU for supporting the plan through providing technical assistance to the renewable energy and energy rationalisation sector.
Representative of the EU Ambassador to Jordan Omar Abu Obeid noted that the funds extended to the Kingdom’s renewable energy sector amounted to 160 million euros, in addition to other forms of support as part of multi-party regional cooperation.
