‘Egypt supplying Jordan with experimental quantities of natural gas’

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati on Tuesday said that Egypt is currently supplying the Kingdom with experimental quantities of natural gas based on understandings reached with the Egyptian side, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Zawati added that the quantities received by Jordan are in preparation for official pumping scheduled for early next year under the amendments to the natural gas purchase agreement signed by Zawati and her Egyptian counterpart Tariq Mulla in Cairo last August.

She stressed the importance of this step in diversifying energy sources to ensure the security and stability of the electrical system in the Kingdom.

Egypt has supplied Jordan with 7 million cubic metres of gas per day since 2004, but quantities started to decline at the end of 2009 and stopped in 2011 after the exposure of the Arab gas pipeline to 25 explosions in the Sinai area.

Jordan’s need for natural gas is estimated at 9.3 million cubic metres per day, used to generate electricity.