Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources and Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF) Chairman Saleh Kharabsheh on Monday attended the launch of the national report detailing the outcomes of energy audits conducted across the industrial sector.The report was implemented by JREEEF in partnership with the Jordan Chamber of Industry and the Jordan Strategy Forum.Kharabsheh said energy audits across productive sectors have become essential tools for reducing operating costs, boosting economic growth and creating jobs, with positive spillovers on the national economy.“Energy audits were once viewed as a secondary or optional exercise. Today, they are a necessity, particularly in high-value sectors such as industry, where energy costs represent a significant share of production costs,” he said.Kharabsheh added that global interest in energy efficiency is rising as countries seek to improve competitiveness and manage energy bills.The minister also emphasised the government’s commitment to transforming the challenge of high energy costs into tangible economic opportunities, noting that some industrial firms have already begun recording significant financial savings after implementing energy audit recommendations.He added that lowering energy intensity in industry supports Jordan’s ambition to strengthen its export base and position the Kingdom as a regional industrial and manufacturing hub.Kharabsheh also called on stakeholders to support the ministry’s national objective of enhancing energy security, urging continued cooperation with the Jordan Chamber of Industry to encourage wider adoption of energy audits and efficiency projects across factories.Jordan Strategy Forum Executive Director Nasreen Barakat said that energy efficiency in the industry is no longer a technical option, but an economic pathway to enhancing competitiveness, reducing production costs, and improving returns on investment.Barakat added that the forum seeks to bridge economic analysis with policy action, particularly on issues with a direct impact on competitiveness.She noted that the launch of the audit results aligns with the forum’s approach of translating evidence-based analysis into practical implementation that strengthens industrial resilience and growth.Lower House Energy Committee Chair MP Ayman Abu Haniyeh said the report reflects a strategic national shift towards managing energy with an economic mindset rooted in efficiency and sustainability.He stressed that energy efficiency has become a “sovereign economic tool” that shields industry from energy price volatility, lowers production costs and helps attract more stable investment.Abu Haniyeh called for moving “from reports to policies”, urging that audit outcomes be linked to clear financing and regulatory incentives, faster access to modern technologies and a stronger implementation role for JREEEF, with energy efficiency embedded in any future industrial or investment strategy.JREEEF Executive Director Rami Hamzeh said the fund has been working with the industrial sector since 2016 to enhance competitiveness and meet sustainability requirements through energy efficiency and conservation programmes that reduce consumption and improve working environments.He noted that the project delivered 180 energy audits for industrial facilities at a cost of around JD1.3 million, fully funded as grants by the fund, adding that the national report is based on verified data reflecting real efficiency opportunities in a productive sector.Jordan Chamber of Industry Director General Hazem Rahahleh said the industrial sector contributes around 25 per cent of GDP, employs more than 270,000 workers and accounts for about 91 per cent of national exports, underlining the sector’s central role in the economy.Rahahleh said energy costs account for a sizeable share of production costs in several industries, making energy management a national priority.He added that audits conducted in 180 factories revealed concrete and economically viable opportunities to cut energy use, improve productivity and enhance competitiveness, particularly as international markets increasingly require lower carbon footprints and sustainability standards. (ICE AMMAN)

Fonte notizia: jordan times