Ammon News -

The Senate's Energy and Mineral Resources Committee discussed Thursday with the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati, and the Chairman of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), Hussein Laboun, the 2022 electricity tariff announced earlier this week.

Senator Saleh Irsheidat, head of the committee, underlined the need to work on "distortions" in the electricity tariff, address the challenges facing various sectors and reevaluate the new electricity tariff to cut down costs for all sectors.

The reduced energy costs, he added, will stimulate and enhance investment and increase exports, reflecting positively on all sectors and job opportunities that would propel economic growth.

Minister Zawati underlined that the recently-announced electricity tariff aims at reducing costs on the various economic sectors without negatively affecting Jordanian households, especially those with low and medium incomes.

The new electricity tariff scrapped the maximum electric load for all economic sectors, alleviating operational costs and boosting competitiveness, Zawati explained. Additionally, the government cut down tariffs for some sectors at varying rates, the minister underlined, stressing that no sector will suffer any tariff increase.

For households, the segments will drop down from 7 to only 3 subject to two tariffs; one subsidized tariff that benefits Jordanians, holders of the temporary Jordanian passport, and Gazans residing in the Kingdom, with one electricity meter per family, and another unsubsidized tariff for non-Jordanians, owners of renewable energy systems, and owners of more than one electricity meter, Zawati added.

Laboun stressed the importance of the new tariff which benefits various economic sectors, adding that a clear mechanism for objection will be adopted to review special cases and any possible observations to protect Jordanians, who are eligible for the subsidized tariff.

During the meeting, the members of the committee called for setting the tariff at incremental costs and installing smart meters across of the Kingdom over the next 3 years.