National Electricity Power Company (NEPCO)National Electricity Power Company (NEPCO)

On Wednesday and Thursday, the company registered an electricity load of 2,030 megawatts, a 200-megawatt decrease from the August average load of 2,230, NEPCONEPCO Director General Ahmad Hiyasat said, attributing the drop to the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

"People's lifestyle during this period changes, particularly since the government reduced official working hours, which leads to less energy consumption," Hiyasat told The Jordan Times yesterday.

Late last month, the government set the working hours of public sector employees during Ramadan from 9:00am-2:00pm, a two-hour reduction.

Hiyasat added that as part of the communal spirit of the holy month, families and relatives tend to gather and have iftar at one house, which also leads to a drop in electricity demand.

The decrease in energy consumption comes at a time when the country is witnessing a rise in temperatures, which normally causes an increase in electricity demand due to the usage of air conditioners and fans, he noted.

"We don't expect to reach the maximum electricity load," the NEPCONEPCO official said, adding that such drops in energy consumption during Ramadan are "normal".

The Kingdom was affected on Wednesday by a "warm and dry air mass," originating from the Arabian Peninsula, which brought northeasterly winds causing the dry and hot conditions.

"The highest temperature recorded over the past two days in Amman was 38ºC, while the maximum mercury level registered since the beginning of summer was in Rweished, where the temperature soared to 43ºC," Meteorologist Hussein Momani told The Jordan Times yesterday.

On Friday, temperatures are expected to reach a high of 37ºC during the day and 24ºC overnight in Amman, he said, noting that the country's eastern deserts were most affected by the current warm air mass.

The heatwave is expected to start subsiding as of Saturday, during which the temperature will reach a maximum of 36ºC during the day and drop to 23ºC overnight in the capital, Momani said.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Hamaydeh, head of the emergency department at Al Bashir Hospital, urged citizens to avoid excessive sun exposure, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan, in order to avoid sun stroke or dehydration.

Hana Namrouqa

© Jordan Times 2008

 

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