Jordan working to increase electricity export to Palestine — Kharabsheh  

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh on Thursday stressed the importance of increasing the power capacity exported to Palestine, calling to double the current amount of some 80 megawatts.

In a press statement following discussions with a Palestinian delegation led by Chairman of the Palestinian Energy Authority, Zafer Melhem, Kharabsheh said that the Ramah plant, which was opened on the Jordanian side in August 2022, had increased the quantity supplied to Palestinians from 40 to 80 megawatts, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister also expressed his hope to double the power generation capacity in Palestine, stressing the Kingdom's readiness to provide all forms of support to Palestinians in this regard.

Kharabsheh said that the talks with the Palestinian side came within the framework of the recommendations of the Jordanian-Palestinian Higher Committee to increase cooperation with Palestine in various energy-related matters, particularly electricity provision. 

He also expressed his hope that cooperation between the two countries will be upgraded and improved, specifically concerning building the Palestinian side’s capacity in energy generation in a bid to reach an integrated Palestinian electricity system.

For his part, Melhem said that the Palestinian side is working according to a strategy that stipulates diversifying energy sources and reducing dependence on a single source. 

In 2008, Palestine started receiving 20 megawatts of electricity from Jordan, which rose to 40 megawatts. This figure increased again in 2022 to 80 megawatts. The fourth phase aims to increase power imported from Jordan to 160 megawatts, depending on energy load upgrades in Palestine.

The National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) Director-General, Amjad Rawashdeh, said that the company is pursuing pathways to provide the Palestinian side with a portion of its electricity requirements through the Ramah plant by adding an 80-megawatt convertor to enhance the reliability of electricity supply, thereby improving reliability on the Jordanian side.

He stressed that a joint working group will study linking the Palestinian electrical grid with the Jordanian grid, and will aim to provide the Palestinian side with 132 kilovolts of high-voltage lines.