Today, Tuesday, the Senate Energy and Mineral Resources Committee reviewed the developments in the energy sector strategy 2020-2030 in the Kingdom in line with the vision of economic modernization.

The Chairman of the Al-Ain Committee, Dr. Saleh Irsheidat, spoke, in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, about the need to focus on energy efficiency, which is one of the priorities of the engines of the national economy and an important source of large investments.

He pointed to the importance of integrating the sector’s strategy with important sectors such as transportation, water, the environment and the introduction of new technologies, in addition to expanding the fields of oil and gas exploration in the Kingdom.

Al-Ain Irsheidat indicated that the next stage should be based on the variables in the recent period, including the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and the electrical interconnection agreements with neighboring countries, which help in absorbing surplus electricity and better disposing it, especially produced from renewable energy projects, and the importance of focusing the updated strategy on the use of hydrogen in light of The global trend towards this new type of renewable energy.

For his part, Minister Kharabsheh spoke about the importance of reviewing the strategy to rehabilitate the electrical network and carry out the necessary expansions of the electrical system, which will be reflected in the absorption of more renewable energy, especially after its current contribution to electric power generation has reached 29 percent.

He stressed the importance of taking into consideration the shift towards smart grids and meters, implementing projects for storing electrical energy and completing projects that are currently being implemented, in addition to completing the study and application of the time-related electrical tariff.

He pointed out that the ministry launched, in December 2021, a project to explore phosphate ore in the Al-Ruwaished area, and in January 2022, it signed a memorandum of understanding to explore for rare earth elements and strategic minerals in the Dubedeeb region in the south of the Kingdom.

He added that in April 2022 the ministry also signed with the Turkish company Solvest a memorandum of understanding to explore and prospect for copper ore and associated minerals in the areas of Wadi Abu Khushaiba and Ghor Fifa, noting that in the same month, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tajamou Company to own and establish projects, a memorandum of understanding to prepare a map of mineral wealth, as well. Two memoranda of understanding were signed to explore copper in the area of ​​Dana and gold in the area of ​​Abu Khashiba.

Kharabsheh explained that the focus in updating the strategy will be on energy storage projects, increasing the contribution of renewable energy to electricity production, and studying the entry of hydrogen into local electricity production.

He pointed out that the modernization of the strategy took into account the realization of the contents of the vision of economic modernization related to the energy sector, to ensure its realization on the ground and reflected positively on the increase in the contribution of renewable energy and local sources in the generation of electric power.

(Petra)