(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Amman, April 4 (Petra)- Deputizing for Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, on Wednesday launched the 2nd national conservation energy plan with the aim of reducing consumption of 2000 GWh / hr for the years 2018-2020 at a total cost of about JD700 million.
The ceremony was attended by the head of the Senate energy committee, Dr. Hisham al-Khatib, the chief of the House energy committee, Haitham al-Zayadin, the Italian ambassador here, Giovanni Brauzzi, Spanish ambassador here, Aranzazu Bannon Davalos, and a number of public and private sector officials.
In a press statement, the minister said the plan is crucial to counter energy sector's challenges, most notably the value of the oil bill, which in some years accounted for 18-20 percent of GDP, five times higher than its global counterparts.
He also cited financial woes facing the energy sector, pointing out these challenges drove Jordan to resort to other alternatives, one of which is the energy conservation plan announced today, which calls for concerted efforts to improve opportunities for energy rationing.
As for the plan's goals, the minister said the plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 962 kt of carbon dioxide annually, which will contribute to achieving the target indicators of Jordan's obligations to address climate change and complies to relevant international agreements.
On a related context, the minister added the plan comes within the framework of the ministry's efforts to achieve the strategic objectives of the energy sector in improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in all sectors by 20 percent until 2020, and highlighted measures taken by the ministry to develop the regulatory and legislative frameworks in this field.
The plan is a national document and a road map that includes all the programs, projects and necessary measures to be followed up and implemented to achieve all indicators targeted in cooperation with all concerned parties, he pointed out.
On the mechanism of the plan's implementation, he cited 26 measures covering domestic, commercial and services, industrial, water pumping, street lighting and transport sectors.
The minister lauded EU'S support through the EU-funded technical assistance program for the renewable energy and energy conservation sector.
For his part, the representative of the European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Omar Abu Eid, said the EU financed renewable energy projects by in the country by 160 million euros in the framework of bilateral and regional support initiatives, stressing the importance of reducing energy consumption to achieve the reduction of costs, along the environmental impact, and the creation of job opportunities, the promotion of energy investments.
AG
4/4/2018 - 02:31:31 PM
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