Jordan to export more electricity to the Palestinian Authority

Jordan will double the amount of electricity it exports to the Palestinian Authority to 80 megawatts by July through a new substation that is under construction, Electricity Minister Saleh Al Kharabsheh said on Monday.

Mr Al Kharabsheh, speaking in Amman after meeting Thafer Melhem, head of the Palestinian Energy Authority, said the increased volume will help fulfil Jordan's aim of increasing "co-operation with the Palestinian brethren".

The two men earlier toured a $4.1 million Jordanian substation under construction in Al Ramah, north of the Dead Sea, through which the increased electricity exports will flow to the West Bank.

Jordan's current electricity exports to the Palestinian Authority mostly go to the West Bank, meeting about 4 per cent of consumption needs there. The rest is met mostly by imports from Israel.

Jordan has excess electricity production but has struggled to find export markets.

In January, the kingdom signed a deal, supported by the US, to export 250 megawatts to Lebanon through regime-held areas of Syria. The exports were supposed to flow by April but there have been none because Lebanon did not secure World Bank funds to pay for the electricity.