Jordan to boost electricity exports to Palestine — Zawati

AMMAN — Jordan and Palestine on Sunday agreed to increase the amount of power the Kingdom exports to Palestine. 

Jordan currently has the capacity to send 26 megawatts to the cities of Jericho and Ghor, however, the agreement would expand this to 80 megawatts and include the areas of Jerusalem, Azariya and Abu Dis, according to a statement from the Energy Ministry.

During the meeting, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and Chairman of the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) Thafer Melhem also agreed to discuss plans to provide Palestine with oil transported through the Kingdom.

The power station that currently provides Jericho and Ghor with electricity will be expanded to supply power to the areas of Jerusalem, Azariya and Abu Dis, Zawati said after the meeting. 

She added that both sides also agreed to hold a special workshop through the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) to train Palestinian staff in Jordan on operating and maintaining electricity systems.

For his part, Bishara said that the talks covered expanding cooperation to import oil through Jordan in order to diversify Palestine’s energy sources. 

The project to increase electricity exports to Palestine is expected to start in the next few months and finish around January or February of 2020, Melhem said. 

Director of (NEPCO) Amjad Rawashdeh said that he expected both sides to sign an agreement at the start of next month make the project official.