Energy minister: Jordan to import 10% of its needs of gas from Egypt

Amman, Aug. 8 (Petra) –

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati, said that she will meet with her Egyptian counterpart on Thursday to amend the agreements between the two countries on the sale and purchase of natural gas in order to import 10% of Jordan’s needs of natural gas to generate electricity from Egypt.

In a press statement prior to her departure to Cairo today, Zawati said she will sign the amendments with her Egyptian counterpart Tareq Molla tomorrow and will also discuss areas of cooperation based on new discoveries of natural gas in the Mediterranean basin especially at Zohr natural gas field, where production began in December 2017.

According to the minister, the two sides will discuss means of cooperation to secure energy resources and infrastructure projects on the imports of liquefied natural gas to best serve the interests of the two countries.

Zawati added that she will also meet in Cairo with the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, to discuss aspects of joint cooperation in the field of electricity and ways to strengthen the electricity connection between the two countries.

Egypt had supplied Jordan with 250 million cubic feet of gas per day since 2004, but it stopped as of 2011 after the Arab gas pipeline was hit by 25 explosions in Sinai.

The Kingdom’s need of natural gas to generate electricity is estimated at 330 million cubic feet per day.