Ammon News - AMMAN –– The Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) has added a new surcharge to electricity bills to account for changes in fuel prices, according to an ERC official.

The commission said its decision to link electricity tariffs with fuel prices, which went into effect this month, seeks to address the increasing cost of power generation.

According to ERC Chief Commissioner Suleiman Hafez, the fuel surcharge will be listed in citizens’ electricity bills as “the difference in fuel prices” and updated every three months according to fluctuations on international oil markets.

This month, the surcharge stands at zero, he said, noting that if oil prices decline or remain unchanged from their current levels, the new tariff will be kept at zero.

The ERC official said the commission is still working to develop a mechanism to calculate the new surcharge, which is designed to “address instability in oil prices” that affects the cost of electricity generation.

Meanwhile, the government has increased fees for garbage collection, which are included in the electricity bill.

The decision, which was endorsed by the government on August 11, 2009, increased the annual fees for those who reside in larger municipalities from JD20 to JD24, and from JD10 to JD15 for those who reside in medium-sized municipalities, according to Ahmad Al Ghazou, secretary general of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

The official added that those who reside in small municipalities such as villages, will pay JD8 annually instead of JD6 per year. He stressed that that the fee hikes seek to improve municipalities’ garbage collection services.



(By Omar Obeidat/ Jordan Times)