1st phase of solar project to power 2,213 homes — Zawati

AMMAN — Seven local companies have begun implementation of the first phase in a project to instal solar cells on the houses of 2,213 families benefitting  from the National Aid Fund (NAF), financed by Fils Al Reef to reduce financial burdens on the underprivileged.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Hala Zawati on Sunday said that completing the project, which was launched in various governorates across the Kingdom, could take between 120 and 180 days, depending on the time needed to implement each of the 12 tenders, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The beneficiary families are among 7,000 households the ministry plans to include in the project by 2020, according to a previous ministry statement. Eventually, some 100,000 families are expected to benefit from the programme.

According to the ministry, the Fils Al Reef initiative adds a fee for each kilowatt of energy a household uses, and was initially introduced with the aim of financing the installation of power cells in remote areas.

Zawati highlighted the importance of the scheme in reducing the costs of monthly electricity bills for the beneficiaries and contributing to addressing poverty by covering the costs of installing these solar cell systems for targeted segments.

The project is part of the ministry’s efforts to spread a culture of ethical power consumption by utilising sustainable energy sources and increasing their contribution to the total energy mix, Zawati noted.

Last month, the ministry floated 11 tenders to complete the second phase of installing solar cells on the houses of 3,200 families.

The Fils Al Reef Department is accepting applicants for solar-cell installation from those who are already beneficiaries of the NAF, whose monthly consumption does not exceed 300 kilowatts per hour and who have enough space to install the system.