AMMAN: Jordan plans to save up to one billion US dollars in energy consumption through a national plan under support of the EU, as the kingdom struggles to pay its energy bill. Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh launched the plan which targets lowering consumption of electricity by 2,000 gigawatts between 2018 and 2020, or JD 700 millioin (USD 1 billion), Petra news agency said. The strategy was launched as part of austerity measures to reduce spending in the cash strapped kingdom, official said today.
The EU is providing financial support at value of 160 million euro as well as technical assistance to the renewable energy and energy rationalization sector, officials, according to Petra news agency.
Authority plan to annually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by some 962 kilo tonnes of carbon dioxide, as part of government commitment to international environmental agreements. The minister said the strategy aims at conserving consumption by 20 percent by 2020 and includes 26 procedures involving the household, commercial, service, industrial, water pumping, street lighting and transport fields, in addition to other eight procedures shared among these fields. Authorities said they plan to introduce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Law and a bylaw on the criteria for exempting renewable energy resources and their devices, and devices of energy rationalization from customs fees and, wholly or partly, the sales tax.
