Ministry to announce first round of solar energy beneficiaries in April

AMMAN — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said it will announce in April the first batch of beneficiaries for their solar energy system programme.

A total of 2,495 families nationwide have applied to benefit from the installation programme, according to a ministry statement. 

Energy Minister Hala Zawati said that the ministry, since the government announced the initiative to install 2-kilowatt solar energy systems in March of 2018, has received 2,495 applications from families who benefit from the National Aid Fund, noting that the ministry is still accepting applications on its website. 

The minister said she expects that the cabinet decision could serve 7,000 households from the fund annually, highlighting the importance of the decision in alleviating the burden of power bills and expanding the beneficiary base of “Fils Al Reef” (money generated from fees in electricity bills).

The director of Fils Al Reef at the ministry, Ziad Saaideh, said that the decision includes households whose monthly consumption does not exceed 300 kilowatts per hour according to certain regulations and conditions. 

Saaideh noted that 14,410 locations, which includes 96,519 houses, have been provided with electricity through Fils Al Reef since 1999 at a total cost of JD125 million.