Energy commission denies raising electricity prices for consumers

AMMAN — The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) on Thursday reaffirmed that it had not raised electricity prices for any sector or consumer.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the EMRC stressed that electricity distribution companies do not pass any costs onto consumers for lost electricity, describing such practices as a violation of the law.

The commission said that one of its goals is to protect the interests of electricity consumers through effectively applying laws, such as the Electricity Law and regulations on power tariffs, stressing distribution companies’ commitment to issuing monthly bills in line with advertised electricity tariffs. 

The EMRC said any rise for consumers in power bills is due to increases in consumption, since the tariff per kilowatt hour rises with increased consumption.

Such cases can be seen in winter, as the use of electric heaters can increase the maximum power load to more than 3,000 megawatts.

On February 1, the highest night electricity load stood at 3,220MW and the day maximum load reached 3,020MW. 

In other months, the top load usually does not exceed 2,700MW, except for in July and August, when air conditioning units are used for cooling. 

The EMRC called on the public to use heaters that consume lower-cost fuel — rather than electricity — to avoid incurring any additional costs on electricity bills. 

In case of preferring the use of electric heaters, the commission advised consumers to ration their consumption.