Revenues from new electricity tariff expected to reach JD50m a year — Kharabsheh

AMMAN — The government has responded positively to the Lower House Energy and Mineral Resources Committee’s previous recommendations for the new electricity tariff that will come into effect as of April, the committee's head Firas Ajarmeh MP said on Wednesday.

During a meeting attended by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, Ajarmeh noted that the government has agreed to exclude citizens who own two households in different governorates from the new tariff, in accordance with a specific mechanism.

The government pledged to keep the fuel price value difference item on electricity bills at zero, which has been implemented since electricity generation shifted from oil to gas, he said. 

He also noted that the government decided to subsidise renewable energy systems of 3.6 kW capacities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Kharabsheh expected revenues from the new electricity tariff to reach JD50 million a year, noting that all returns will be channelled to support various economic sectors, as "no tariff-related cash will go to the State Treasury”.

Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC)'s figures show that 93 per cent of subscribers’ monthly electric bills will not be affected by the new tariff, while the bills of those who consume less than 600 KW per month will go down, the minister reiterated.