SAEED AHMED (ABU DHABI)

Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, CEO of Etihad Water and Electricity Company, confirmed that the company has begun implementing the orders of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to expand support for citizens who own farms by reducing their electricity costs. The initiative will include 9,000 farms under the company’s supervision in the northern regions of the country.

The support will cover the actual cost to the company, decreasing costs to only 7.5 fils per kilowatt/hour, rather than 28 or 33 fils per kilowatt/hour. Al Ali noted that the support encourages farmers to increase crop production to further meet the requirements of the local market.

According to Al Ali, the support provided by the UAE President is effective beginning in January, and is limited to accounts registered before the issuance of the orders. The initiative does not include connections for new farms, and it is limited to only one farm registered under the name of one owner, whether for personal use or as part of food security initiatives. The farm should not be classified as “commercial” or be used for commercial purposes. The owner should not receive support from any other local entity. Farm owners will be able to identify the allocated support through their monthly consumption bill.

Eligible farms can register for the initiative after ensuring compliance with the specified conditions through the service outlets of Etihad Water and Electricity Company.

Al Ali praised President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s initiative, adding that His Highness’s initiatives always help citizens face challenges. Al Ali called on eligible farm owners to update their information to ensure that they can benefit from the support, noting that all meters serving one farm must be integrated into one account, as the supported tariff cannot be applied to more than one account for the same farm.