AMMAN — The Parliamentary
Energy Committee met on Monday with experts and specialists in the field of
energy and electricity to discuss the power outage that occurred across the
Kingdom last week. Also on Monday, the Finance Committee met with Minister of
Finance Mohamed Al-Ississ.
اضافة اعلان
The meeting was set to
address the government's and the National Electric Power Company's (NEPCO) reports,
as well as the outcomes of their previous meeting with the committee.
“We still do not have
a solid answer in our hands. The Energy Committee is still investigating the
cause of the power outage, and we will present the findings of the
investigation to experts to determine the causes.” Nidal Al Hiyari, member of Energy
Committee told Jordan News. “Our team of Jordanian electrical engineers
is qualified and capable, thus we do not see the need for a foreign entity to
take part in this,” referencing the Italian consulting firm that has been
tapped by the government to investigate the blackout.
He also stated that
there would be possible consequences for the government if the evidence shows
that they are responsible in any way. “If the government bears responsibility
for this, the government must provide information promptly and without any
delays in order to restore confidence in its performance,” he explained.
Zaid Al Otoum, head of
the Energy Committee, told Jordan News “Our experts are made up of
electrical engineers who work for the Jordan Electric Power Company, as well as
the directorates responsible for the electrical system, and they have
experience determining the reasons of power outages.”
Otoum also expects
that this session will help facilitate the investigation with the assistance of
the government. “We hope that the first meeting reinforced our need for
complete transparency and cooperation from the government in giving the
information needed to properly determine the reasons behind the power outage.”
Specialists also urged
the Energy and Mineral Resources Committee to meet with NEPCO and schedule weekly
operational studies, study the costs of conventional and renewable energy
sources, monitor relays that disconnect generators in the event of a surge, and
review records of power fluctuations.
The Lower House Finance
Committee met Finance Minister Mohamed Al-Ississ, who told media that “the
nation’s economy is starting to recover, with JD2.5 billion in revenue in the
first third of the year.” According to his statement, “the strategy to combat
tax and customs evasion proved effective, as evidenced by the results of the
first third of the year and tax collection increased by 38.4 percent compared to the same period
in 2019.”
He also added that
“external grants decreased compared to last year by 34.5 percent, and by 18
percent compared to 2019.”
Chairman of the
Financial Committee Nimr Salihat told Jordan News that, “despite
the closures of sectors and several industries, the numbers were positive and
the revenues increased. When we compare these revenues to the years 2020 and
2019, we can see how positively we have progressed.”
In the meeting, Jordan
News interviewed MP Khalid Al-Bustanji, who followed up the case of MP
Osama Al-Ajarmeh. Ajarmeh is currently suspended for his offensive statements
last week. Bustanji stated that “Ajarmeh's comments were not only directed at a
specific person, but towards entire constitutional institution.”
“His insults were directed
at every one of our members, who come from all around Jordan. This
constitutional institution has been standing for a century, and its members
come and go, but its mission remains the same, and disrespect is not allowed
among any of us,” Bustanji concluded.
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