Electricity demand to reach record levels
By Paul Tate
AMMAN — A huge increase in demand for electricity to power fans and air-conditioning systems is expected over the weekend as the Kingdom faces its first heatwave of the summer.
A hot mass coming from the Arabian Peninsula is expected to reach the country on Friday, raising temperatures in Amman to around 39ºC.
The heatwave, which is expected to last until the middle of next week, will peak on Sunday with temperatures soaring as high as 41ºC, said Abdul Halim Abu Hazim, acting director of the Jordan Meteorology Department.
The official denied media reports that it will be the hottest in 65 years, adding that the highest recorded June temperature in the capital was in 1942 at 42.8ºC.
The National Electric Power Company insisted yesterday that there was no risk of blackouts resulting from an upsurge in demand to power fans and air-conditioning systems.
Khaled Said, the company’s acting managing director, said: “We are well-prepared for events such as this and are not expecting any problems. Our generation units’ availability is very high and can be operated immediately if required.”
Power demand is expected to peak on Sunday as citizens return to their workplaces, many of which, unlike homes, are fitted with air-conditioning systems.
“We are expecting output to reach a record 1,900 megawatts,” said Said, adding that average is usually around 1,700 megawatts.
Supermarkets yesterday said they were prepared for any potential power failures and had stockpiled extra supplies of cold water and drinks.
“All our branches have diesel-powered generators so we are well-prepared for such conditions,” said Mohammad Shteiwi, manager of the Amman Mall branch of C-Town.
The general manager of Nestle Jordan, Rasem Dabbas, said the company had doubled its capacity of bottled water in preparation for the hot weather front.
“We are expecting a huge surge over the next week with our daily sales of bottles rising from 20,000 to 28,000,” he said.
Heatwaves claim thousands of lives each year, killing more people than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined.
The World Meteorological Organisation estimates that the number of heat-related deaths across the globe will double in the next 20 years, with the elderly most at risk.
