Energy and Development signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver electricity to people with limited income

2024-01-21 13:11:47

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Economic affairs

January 21, 2024

Watan Al-Youm: The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, and the Minister of Social Development, Wafa Bani Mustafa, signed today, Sunday, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation regarding the delivery of electricity to eligible segments of people with limited income at the expense of the rural penny, in accordance with the conditions for benefit issued by the Ministry of Development without any burden. Any financial obligations to the beneficiaries.
Minister Kharabsheh said in a press statement after the signing that the agreement comes from the strategic plans of the two ministries in seeking to integrate joint efforts by expanding the segment of citizens benefiting from the delivery of electricity at the expense of the “rural penny,” referring to the efforts made by the Ministry of Social Development in the social protection strategy that works. Through it, the ministries are concerned with alleviating the burden on needy families, and seeking to reduce their numbers to the minimum levels.
Al-Kharabsheh appreciated the role of the Ministry of Development in paying attention to the target groups, pointing out that the measures provided by the Ministry of Energy are considered among the government measures to serve the targeted people and to meet the increasing requirements for delivering electricity to citizens whose homes are located within the boundaries of the organization through electrical networks through the three electricity distribution companies, and to homes located Outside the regulatory limits and far from the electrical networks, using solar energy units as an independent system not connected to the electrical network.
Al-Kharabsheh pointed out that the agreement is concerned with organizing and following up on the transactions of citizens who meet the conditions, in order to achieve the best performance in serving these segments, especially after the percentage of beneficiaries of electricity reached 99.9% across the Kingdom.
For her part, Bani Mustafa stressed the importance of cooperation between ministries in providing services to citizens, especially those category of needy families in need of assistance.
She explained that closer cooperation with the Ministry of Energy comes in line with the National Strategy for Social Protection, which is not limited to the Ministry of Social Development but includes all government institutions.
She added that the signing of this agreement is in the interest of needy families who need electricity delivery service in an easy and simple way, which is what the Ministry is working on in line with its pivotal role in social protection and the services provided to the group that needs it.
Regarding the details of the agreement, the Director of the Directorate of Electricity and Rural Electrification in the Ministry of Energy, Engineer Hisham Al-Momani, said that the delivery of electricity at the expense of the rural penny to homes located within the boundaries of the organization through regular electrical networks will cost a maximum of 3,000 dinars for the beneficiary location and according to the principles and procedures approved by the Ministry of Energy.
Al-Momani added that the provision of the service by the Ministry of Energy is based on an official letter addressed from the Ministry of Social Development to the Ministry of Energy and according to the terms of use determined by the Ministry of Development to serve citizens at the expense of the “rural penny,” attached to a social case study and reinforcements for the service.
The conditions also include, according to Al-Moumni, that the beneficiary must own the home or have a share in it, with documents provided in his name proving this and attached to the social status study. These documents include: a valid registration deed, a valid land plan, a valid regulatory site plan, and a valid construction license. And a valid work permit.
According to Momani, the conditions include that the beneficiary does not own land whose value is estimated at (4) times the value of the construction, and that the cost of the building to deliver electricity does not exceed 50 thousand Jordanian dinars, and that the dwelling must not be a seasonal, functional dwelling, or farm, so that less fortunate areas and pockets are taken into account. Poverty in this regard.
Al-Momani explained that the conditions for benefiting from the rural filter account for homes located within the regulatory boundaries via regular electrical networks excluded cases with special circumstances that do not meet all the requirements and conditions required to benefit from the project, the first of which is: in the event that the income exceeds the permissible limit (482) dinars, so that Official documents are brought proving the current salary deductions, such as (bank and housing loan deductions, stamped promissory notes for building materials).
The conditions also excluded the presence of individuals with special needs (disabilities) within the family, or the number of individuals in it exceeding 7 people, as the family income will be approved up to 750 dinars, provided that these exceptions are studied by the Ministry of Social Development.
Regarding the conditions for delivering electricity at the expense of the rural penny to homes located outside the regulatory boundaries by delivering electricity to them using solar energy units as an independent system not connected to the electrical network, Al-Momani stated that it costs a maximum of 4 thousand dinars for the beneficiary site and according to the principles and procedures approved by the Ministry of Energy.
He added that the agreement limited the conditions for providing the service, in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development, to the condition that the beneficiary should not be the owner of another home, not a trespasser on treasury lands, and that the financial cost of delivering electricity through the home’s regular electrical network should not be less than 10,000 dinars.
The agreement signed today stipulates the exchange of information in a way that facilitates the tasks of the two ministries and the beneficiaries, including exchanging information electronically, identifying a liaison officer from both parties to follow up on transactions for delivering electricity at the expense of the rural penny to the beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of use, and exchanging bulletins and studies, which supports the transfer of knowledge.
Every beneficiary who meets the conditions for obtaining the service can benefit from it through an official letter issued by the Ministry of Social Development addressed to the Ministry of Energy. The aforementioned benefits for each segment are attached to the letter within a month from the date of submitting the application to the Ministry of Development.
The electricity delivery projects mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding are being implemented through competitive bidding for specialized local companies, which would encourage investment and contribute to providing job opportunities for Jordanian citizens, as the number of beneficiaries from projects installing solar energy systems that are not connected to the electrical grid has reached 102 beneficiaries since. The year 2015, at a financial cost of 136 thousand Jordanian dinars.