Amman, May 19 (Petra) –Secretary-General of the Ministry of Energy
and Mineral Resources, Amani Azzam, on Tuesday participated in the
preparatory sessions for the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development
(AFSD) 2026, held remotely.

Addressing the event, Azzam said Jordan now possesses a “strong
base” of achievements in the electricity, renewable energy, energy
efficiency, electric transmission sectors, and digital transformation
of the energy sector.

Azzam noted this situation enhances the sector’s “readiness and
capacity to face future challenges.”

She noted Jordan views regional electricity interconnection projects
as a “strategic” tool for strengthening resilience, not merely as
technical or commercial projects.

On its feasibility, she said interconnection with neighboring
countries contributes to achieving electricity exchange, improving
network reliability, and providing alternatives during crises or
periods of high demand.

Azzam noted importance of electricity interconnection increases
during crises, as regional crises have demonstrated that countries
become more vulnerable to price and logistical shocks when they
operate in isolation.

She said digitalization will play a “pivotal” role in the next phase
of Jordan’s electricity sector transformation project, noting that
the Kingdom has made significant progress in deploying smart meters,
alongside the gradual implementation of time-based tariffs.

She said this effort contributes to load management and directing
consumption towards times of lower grid pressure.

She added that automation also contributes to improved planning,
increased transparency, reduced losses, and enables electricity
companies to monitor networks and respond quickly to outages, as well
as supporting the integration of higher percentages of solar and wind
energy into the electricity grid.

In addition to Jordan, representatives from Palestine, Lebanon,
Tunisia, and Kuwait participated in the preparatory sessions.

//Petra// AG