Jordan to export surplus gas to Egypt

Jordan intends to export surplus gas to Egypt through the same gas pipeline Amman used to import gas from Egypt, a senior official revealed.

In response to a question by Member of Parliament Rula Hroub during yesterday’s Lower House oversight session, Jordan’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ibrahim Saif said that the kingdom will introduce technical amendments to the gas pipeline to be able to export surplus gas to Egypt.

Hroub’s question was on the authenticity of rumours about planned construction of a pipeline to pump natural gas into Jordan from Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.

But Saif explained: “There are currently no negotiations or projects related to importing gas from Israel to Jordan; everything is frozen at the stage of the letter of intent signed by Jordan and Noble Energy.”

The minister’s remarks came only two days after Egypt froze negotiations over importing gas from Israel following a decision by arbitrators at the International Chamber of Commerce ordering Egypt’s energy firms to pay a $1.76 billion fine to the Israel Electric Corporation.

Jordan imported nearly 250 million cubic feet of Egyptian gas before the January 2011 revolution. However the gas pipeline was hit by more than 20 bombings over the past three years, forcing Amman to use heavy fuel as a substitute for Egyptian gas.