Electricity Regulatory Council Holds Awareness Workshop at Ministry of Industry to Discuss Energy Challenges and Support for the Industrial Sector

SadaNews - The Palestinian Electricity Regulatory Council held an awareness workshop today, Wednesday, at the Ministry of Industry headquarters in Ramallah, with the participation of Minister of Industry, Mr. Arafat Asfour, and the attendance of a group of officials and specialists in the industry and energy sectors.

The workshop was inaugurated by Minister Asfour, who emphasized that energy constitutes about 20% of industrial production costs, and any reduction in electricity prices will positively impact the enhancement of national products and their competitiveness in markets. He stressed the need to approve a special tariff that supports Palestinian industries and strengthens their resilience, referring to the experience of the Jericho industrial area, which introduced a renewable energy station that contributed to reducing production costs for factories. He added that the workshop is not only an awareness initiative but also represents participation in the decision-making process regarding support for the industrial tariff and reviewing electricity connection fees for factories.

For his part, Eng. Hamdi Tahboub, the CEO of the Electricity Regulatory Council, clarified that the council is keen on networking with various relevant parties, including having a representative from the Ministry of Industry on its board. He pointed out that converting several factories to medium voltage has helped reduce their bills, confirming the continued cooperation between the council and the ministry to facilitate the work of industrialists.

Tahboub addressed the main challenges facing the sector, foremost of which is the high electricity prices due to reliance on purchases from the Israeli side, noting that the Palestinian government supports the tariff annually with nearly 250 million shekels to ease the burdens on consumers. He revealed a new package of renewable energy projects pending approval, stressing that the regulatory instructions have reached a consensus formula that satisfies all parties, and that the performance indicators of distribution companies for the year 2024 will be issued within two weeks. He also invited industrialists to license renewable energy stations and sell their production, announcing that the council will soon hold a hearing session to update electricity connection fees.

In his speech, the Director-General of Industrial Development at the ministry, Eng. Khader Daraghmeh, confirmed that decisions related to energy serve the interests of the industry, but investors are looking for tangible results. He explained that about 2% of the West Bank relies on industrial energy, and that the developer in industrial areas is responsible for distributing energy within them, despite some industrialists' fears of entering into renewable energy projects.

Eng. Suhail Harzallah, Director of Industrial Licensing, raised questions about the method of calculating the tariff and the reasons for including technical and non-technical losses in the calculation process, while Eng. Ismail Al-Aloona, Director of the Consumer Affairs Department at the council, provided an explanation about the reasons for the rise in electricity tariffs and technical and non-technical losses, in addition to the accumulation of debts on distribution companies.

The workshop included specialized presentations, where Eng. Jihad Shihadeh, responsible for awareness issues, reviewed the electricity tariff, the legal framework for the council's work, connection fees, and mechanisms for receiving complaints, in addition to general safety guidelines and the importance of consumption rationalization.

The workshop witnessed extensive discussions with attendees, addressing renewable energy projects and ways to encourage investment in them, as well as mechanisms for rationalizing household and institutional consumption, in addition to safety standards, criteria for setting tariffs and connection fees, procedures to prevent monopoly in the electricity market, and mechanisms for receiving complaints and the time frame for addressing them.

The workshop concluded by emphasizing the importance of raising community awareness about concepts of rationalization and sustainability, and enhancing the supervisory role of the Electricity Regulatory Council in protecting consumer rights and monitoring the performance of distribution companies, ensuring fair and safe service for all citizens.