July 14, 2024 - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, and Director of Public Security, Major General Obaidallah Maaytah, signed today, Wednesday, a memorandum of understanding to deliver electricity to sites affiliated with the Public Security Department using off-grid solar PV units that are not connected to the electricity grid.

Al-Kharabsheh confirmed in a press statement following the signing that the memorandum includes implementing a project to design, supply, install, operate and maintain off-grid solar PV systems, numbering nine systems, in five sites affiliated with the Public Security Department, based on the principle of mutual cooperation between the ministry and the PSD to achieve the best performance in serving various segments of society and providing the best services.

Al-Kharabsheh explained that the implementation of the project aims to deliver services to security directorates in areas far from the network to enable them to provide the service to the citizen in the best possible way based on the decisions of the Council of Ministers, which include approval to exempt sites affiliated with the Public Security Department from the approved bases for delivering electricity at the expense of the rural fils, and to deliver electricity to these sites using solar energy units (Off Grid) that are not connected to the electricity grid at a total cost of 770 thousand Jordanian dinars from the rural fils account in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, provided that the Public Security Department is committed to paying the additional financial amounts resulting from the implementation of the project that exceed the amount specified in the decisions of the Ministers Council.

For his part, the Director of Public Security, Major General Obaidallah Al-Maaytah, stressed that signing the memorandum of understanding aims to deliver electricity using solar energy to public security units and centers in remote areas, and is the result of joint work between the department and the Ministry of Energy to provide a better security service across the geographical area of ​​the Kingdom.

Major General Al-Maaytah praised the level of cooperation and existing and extended partnership in various fields between the Public Security Department and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, which His Majesty the Supreme Commander King Abdullah II constantly directs.

He added that the Public Security works as part of the partnership with the MEMR to provide support and assistance to its cadres while performing their work and to prevent and control encroachments on power lines in cooperation with the Ministry.

In turn, the Director of the Electricity and Rural Electrification Directoratein MEMR , Engineer Hisham Al-Momani, explained that the implementation of the electricity supply project included in the memorandum of understanding is done by offering bids through the Special Tenders Committee formed in the Ministry pursuant to the Cabinet’s decision to implement the project in external patrol centers and civil defense centers in each of the areas of Ashqaf, Al-Karamah, Bayer, Shabeika, and Tuba.

Al-Momani added that the implementation of the procurement process for the project’s works includes exempting the goods to be purchased for the project’s purposes from customs duties and subjecting them to the general sales tax at a percentage or amount of zero.