Today, Thursday, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Kharabsheh, said that the current stage requires the issuance of new legislation that keeps pace with developments in the electricity sector, in preparation for proceeding later with the procedures for enacting the law within the approved constitutional channels, and in a manner that meets the requirements of the initiatives of the economic modernization vision for the year 2023.

Kharabsheh stressed, during his presidency of the meeting of the Energy Partnership Council, the Ministry’s commitment to reviewing the legislation governing the work of the energy sector, on an ongoing basis, to keep pace with the best international practices in this sector.

The members of the Partnership Council discussed the most important amendments to the Electricity Law No. (64) of 2002 and its amendments and the reasons for them.

Kharabsheh stressed the importance of partnership councils in joint cooperation to review the laws governing the work of the sector, especially with regard to updating and developing legislation and laws, such as reviewing Electricity Law No. (64) of 2002 and its amendments, indicating that the next stage will witness the updating and development of the renewable energy law, and energy rationalization. No. (13) of 2012 and its amendments.

Yara Akash, Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry, said that these amendments are summed up by defining the Ministry’s tasks and powers in drawing up the general policy for the electricity sector, and related procedures, and for the purposes of keeping pace with global best practices in this sector, and achieving legislative compatibility and harmony with the provisions contained in the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Authority Law. No. (8) of 2017, defining the tasks of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Authority in regulating the electricity sector, and granting licenses and permits related to the electricity sector, noting the need to reorganize crimes against the electricity sector, and determine appropriate penalties for them, as a reason for amendment.

It presented the most prominent features of the amendments in terms of adding new concepts in the law to keep pace with international best practices, such as regulating the process of storing electric energy and self-generation of electricity.