AMMAN — The higher steering committee of the Fils Al Reef, a fee added to each kilowatt a household uses, on Wednesday approved electricity connections for 237 homes and sites in March at a total cost of JD535,000.

During a meeting chaired by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Saleh Kharabsheh, the committee endorsed projects to be connected to electricity through both conventional networks and solar systems funded by the Rural Electrification Fund.

The projects cover residential clusters and economic activities, following recent amendments expanding the scheme, according to an Energy Ministry statement.

Director of the Electricity and Rural Electrification Directorate at the Ministry Hisham Momani presented details of the approved projects.

He said the list includes residential clusters of five homes outside zoning boundaries at a cost of JD42,000, clusters of three homes costing JD36,000, and individual houses outside zoning areas benefiting from existing networks at JD27,000.

Low-income households located within zoning areas in electricity concession zones will also receive support amounting to JD6,000, he added,

In support of livestock and agricultural production, the fund will finance electricity connections for poultry, cattle, sheep, and fish farms in poverty pockets outside zoning areas at a cost of JD24,000, as well as farms with artesian wells at JD12,000, contributing to food security and self-reliance.

The fund further allocated JD193,000 to support productive, industrial, and investment projects in poverty pockets and areas outside zoning boundaries, provided that they create employment opportunities for local residents.

Other approved projects include electricity connections for government entities, agricultural, and charitable associations at JD20,000, as well as upgrading the capacity of substations established through the fund over the past decade at JD7,000.

In the renewable energy sector, the committee also approved the installation of grid-connected solar systems for 168 homes belonging to low-income families and beneficiaries of the National Aid Fund, aiming to reduce energy bills and improve their economic conditions.

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