Call to cancel renewable energy tax sparks mixed reactions

3d solar pannels project energy saving  renewable energy
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AMMAN — On January 18, the National Society of Consumer Protection (NSCP) called for canceling taxes on the renewable energy sector, especially for domestic users. اضافة اعلان

The society said that taxes levied on renewable energy are “unfair” to individuals and companies who work in the sector, and have discouraged many from investing in renewable energy in the Kingdom. In turn, the society has demanded that the sector not be “conquered by monopolists”, Al-Rai daily reported. 

The government must cancel taxes on the renewable energy sector, said NSCP President Mohammad Obeidat, emphasizing that these taxes, amid surging winter electricity bills, negatively impact individuals — a problem heightened by increased diesel prices despite governmental support.

Although the Ministry of Energy has established a fund to support those who use renewable energy at home, he said, the decision is fruitless as it is still subject to the policies and regulations of grid companies that are ultimately “the decision makers and control the whole sector”.

The repercussions and economic backlash of this decision are evident in individuals’ reluctance to pursue renewable energy, said Obeidat. Companies are also refusing to invest in the sector, he said, which is consequently decreasing job opportunities and increasing the poverty rate.

‘Unacceptable’ President of the Renewable Energy Establishments Society Mohammad Dado told Jordan News that imposing fees on household renewable energy systems through an electricity tariff negatively impacts the sector. “It increases the payback period on their renewable energy investment,” he said. 

“It violates the contractual process for owners of (renewable energy) systems that were installed before the tariff was modified,” he said. 
When the JD2 tax per kWh generated was imposed, demand for renewable energy systems dropped significantly to almost zero
“This adds a new obligation” for renewable energy system owners to pay, he added. 

The government began levying a tax of JD2 on every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of power produced via renewable energy sources in April of 2022. The tax applies exclusively to households.

The government’s justification for the tax is “unacceptable”, Dado said. “The government began levying the fee in place of utilizing the national grid, which many system owners revert to in winter or during darker hours,” he said. 

While this may theoretically be true, he said, “these systems supply electricity during daylight hours to the grid, which reduces the load and the required generating capacities.”

“This generates savings for the electrical system,” he added. 

What is required, he said, is a comprehensive strategy to transition to renewable energy. “This can be done through modernizing networks, legislation that allows for energy storage… and other incentive measures,” he said. 

According to a report by Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism , when the JD2 tax per kWh generated was imposed, demand for renewable energy systems dropped significantly to almost zero, rendering jobless the nearly 10,000 employees — namely, administrators, technicians, engineers, workers, and thousands of contractors, including drivers, day laborers, suppliers, and fresh graduates.
“This tax should be replaced by imposing a percentage on the total monthly bill to ensure equality.”
Despite this, not everyone is in support of abolishing the tax. 

‘Logical’Feras Balasmeh, a renewable energy investor, told Jordan News he is not for canceling the tax imposed on home users of renewable energy. 

“Citizens use the national electrical grid network,” he said. “This tax must be considered in a scientific matter and not be based on personal decisions."

Subsidies have been approved for renewable energy systems with a capacity of less than 3.6 kilowatts, constituting 85 percent of the total renewable energy systems registered in Jordan.

However, those who wish to harvest more renewable energy while keeping their subscription to the national grid pay an unsubsidized fee of 120 fils per kWh, alongside the fixed JD2 per kWh.

Imposing the JD2 tax is “logical”, he said. In fact, he added, “this tax should be replaced by imposing a percentage on the total monthly bill to ensure equality.”

“The grid requires frequent maintenance, so users must pay operating costs,” he added.

Across Jordan, 35,000 homes rely on renewable energy systems, and more than 80 percent of them will benefit from subsidized rates if they use the electricity grid. 

The remaining 20 percent of these system owners will pay the unsubsidized rate if they tap into the national grid.

Solar energy capacityEnergy expert Hashem Aqel said that the government imposed the tax under the pretext of “maintenance of the grid”, given that in emergency cases (the absence of the sun), users tend to revert to it. 
Jordan, he said, “has 316 sunny days out of the year, meaning it has an advantage in terms of solar energy”.
“The government sees that the consumer should bear part of these costs,” he said. 

In light of this, Aqel advised those who depend on renewable energy to purchase lithium batteries. “They are available in the market, and this can cut you off from the electrical grid completely.”

Jordan, he said, “has 316 sunny days out of the year, meaning it has an advantage in terms of solar energy”.

In August 2022, the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources published on its official Facebook page that Jordan ranks first in the Arab world in the percentage of installed capacity for renewable energy sources.


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