Bill to abolish oil exploration deal returned to energy committee

AMMAN — The Lower House on Sunday returned the bill to abolish a joint agreement for oil exploration, evaluation, and production between the Natural Resources Authority (NRA) and Canada’s Ammonite Energy International Inc.

in Jafer and central Jordan to the House’s energy committee for further verification and examination. In a Lower House session, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati explained that the Canadian company showed interest in 2010 in oil exploration in Jafer region and central Jordan by conducting geographic and seismic studies In 2012, the Cabinet approved the agreement and referred it to parliament, which approved the agreement in 2015, at a time when the company lost interest and failed to fulfill its obligations to set a JD1 million guarantee, breaching the terms of the agreement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.