Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Over the past four years, the Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF) has implemented projects worth JD50 million to mainstream renewable energy in the total energy mix and contribute to sustainable development efforts in the Kingdom.

According to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati, the JREEEF's contribution to the projects was estimated at JD19 million, while the rest came from the donors and business owners .

In a press statement on Sunday, Zawati said the projects covered a number of sectors including domestic, industrial, agricultural, tourism, places of worship and schools across the Kingdom.

The Minister commended the donors' support including the European Union, the Canadian Government, the Italian Ministry of Environment and the French International Development Agency, stating that such projects enhance the contribution of renewable energy to the overall energy mix.

Around 128 schools in all the Kingdom's governorates benefited from energy saving projects carried out by the fund, she stated.

This comes as a part of His Majesty King Abdullah's initiative for heating school buildings using insulation, and add energy-saving lighting systems (LED bulbs), heating, cooling, solar panels, general maintenance and supply them with renewable energy.

Zawati pointed out that the fund provided 50% of the cost of installing 22,000 solar water heaters for citizens, and offered a full grant to install solar water heaters and LED bulbs in 3,500 homes of poor families and royal grant housings.

It also installed 1,600 electricity generation systems for citizens' homes and electricity generating solar cells in 483 shrines, she added.

The minister said the fund distributed some 50,000 LED bulbs to citizens, adding that work is underway to float a tender to distribute 250,000 bulbs through electricity companies.

On projects to support the industrial sector, she confirmed that the ministry signed agreement with 63 factories to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy operations in an effort to support the sector's competitiveness, facilitate its work, and job opportunities.

The tourism sector also received the fund's support, she said, noting that energy efficiency projects were implemented in 14 hotels in Petra which cost a total of JD1.6 million and that Madaba and Aqaba hotels also stand to benefit from the fund.