26,000 households get solar heaters — Energy Ministry

AMMAN — A total of 26,000 households were provided with solar heaters through the Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF), the Energy Ministry announced on Monday.

Households benefitting from Royal makruma (benefaction) received the heaters at a 100 per cent subsidy rate, while other beneficiaries received a 50-per cent subsidy, according to a ministry statement. 

Energy Minister Hala Zawati said the project contributes to saving JD6 to JD15 for these families every month while saving some 29.5 gigawatts per hour of electricity annually which is worth some JD2.15 million. 

The project also involves reducing CO2 emissions by 18,900 tonnes each year, which plays a role in the Kingdom’s commitments to climate change issues, Zawati added.

The minister noted that JREEEF, as part of the national strategy to utilise renewable energy resources and rationalise energy consumption, has designed a programme to support households by subsidising electricity prices through three plans: installing solar heaters; installing photovoltaic (process of using light to create electricity) cell systems and installing LED units. 

Zawati pointed out that the JREEEF has finished installing 3,513 heaters in the first phase of the project through a full grant in cooperation with the Jordan River Foundation, adding that the first phase was implemented nationwide in 2015 with a budget of JD1.5 million.

The fund is expected to complete the second phase by the end of 2019 as some 20,000 heaters are intended to be installed in various areas across the Kingdom with a subsidy rate of 50 per cent and a total cost of JD10 million, she added. 

The third phase, dedicated to beneficiaries of Royal makruma, helped 2,262 out of 2,448 families with the solar heaters in the phase that started at the beginning of 2019 and will end in the third quarter of the year.

The total budget of the phase stands at JD1 million, Zawati highlighted.   

The minister also noted that the solar heater project is partially funded by a grant presented by JREEEF with a total cost of JD12.6 million, where the fund contributes to JD7.6 million and the remaining cost is incurred by beneficiary households.