Amman, July 26 (Petra) - Prime Minister Jafar Hassan inaugurated two natural gas stations in Aqaba on Sunday, advancing a government strategy to reduce energy costs in industrial cities and zones across Jordan by 35% to 60%.
Energy expert Hashem Aqel told Petra the stations will cut power generation costs by securing flexible, long-term gas supplies. This reduces reliance on pricier, higher-emission liquid fuels, shielding the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) from the heavy financial strains it faced during past Egyptian gas disruptions.
The overall initiative includes exempting liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from fees and replacing the current floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with a lower-cost, 10-year lease-to-own vessel.
To ensure long-term energy security, Jordan is developing a permanent onshore regasification terminal with a capacity of 700 million cubic feet per day.
The project will make the Kingdom’s gas network more resilient, according to Aql, allowing Jordan to better manage supply scenarios, power domestic grids, and expand regional energy cooperation.
Aql pointed to Jordan’s ability to import, regasify, and send natural gas to Syria through the Arab Gas Pipeline, with similar plans under review for Lebanon. He emphasized, however, that the "local market comes first." Backed by the Qatar Fund for Development, the initiative diversifies Amman’s energy sources, protecting the country from global market swings and political supply cuts, according to Aql.
The prime minister inaugurated a natural gas station in Quweira Industrial City, built at a cost of approximately JD8 million with an initial capacity of 30,000 cubic meters per day that can be expanded to 90,000 cubic meters per day.
He inaugurated a second natural gas station in Aqaba's Southern Industrial Zone, completed in about 10 months at a cost of JD3.5 million, several months ahead of the original 18-month construction schedule. The project followed the laying of its foundation stone by the prime minister in September last year.
//Petra// HA
