Amman, Oct. 7 (Petra) -- Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary General Amani Azzam on Wednesday called for regional energy integration and interconnection to diversify supply sources and routes, boost energy security and make energy systems more resilient to supply disruptions.
She was addressing a high-level strategic conference, "Accelerating the Eastern Mediterranean as an Energy Corridor: From Dialogue to Corridor Realisation" in Athens, Greece, hosted by HelleniQ Energy, the ministry said in a statement. Azzam told the opening session, titled "Engineering Corridors: Structuring the Energy System," that successful energy corridors must give countries real options to reach multiple sources through diverse routes to limit dependence on a single source or route and improve the ability to respond to changes and supply disruptions.
She stressed the priority of maximizing the use of existing infrastructure and identifying missing strategic links that would provide access to additional sources and markets.
She pointed to the importance of balancing the efficiency of regional integration with national energy security requirements, and of providing reliable alternatives to enhance the continuity of supply when disruptions occur.
Gas networks and electricity interconnections can play complementary roles, said Azzam, adding that the energy need should be identified first, then the most technically and economically feasible solution chosen, whether gas infrastructure, electricity interconnection or development of existing infrastructure.
She said Jordan has potentials that support its role as a regional connection point, including a strategic geographic location, political stability, and a clear and stable legislative and regulatory environment, as well as existing gas and electricity interconnection infrastructure.
These strengthen opportunities to connect with wider sources and markets in the region, Azzam said.
She called for a clear, actionable regional investment roadmap that identifies priority links and directs investment toward the most feasible projects that can be financed and implemented.
The energy ministry official stressed the need to move from identifying opportunities and potential projects to setting priorities and turning energy corridors into practical projects on the ground.
//Petra// NQ
