NEPCO begins gas pumping trial run from Noble Energy

AMMAN — The National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) on Wednesday announced the start of experimental pumping of gas from Noble Energy, under an agreement signed between the two companies in 2016.

The experimental pumping will continue for three months, with the aim of testing the readiness of the infrastructure before the start of actual pumping, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In September 2016, NEPCO signed a 15-year agreement with Noble Energy, a Houston-based company that holds the largest share in the Israeli Leviathan Gas Field, to purchase $10 billion worth of natural gas.

The government said it would import 250-300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from Noble Energy, which is expected to save the Kingdom around JD700 million.

Under the deal, Jordan will receive 3 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

In December, a group of MPs requested that an “urgent” draft law be formulated to ban the import of Israeli gas to the Kingdom.

In the request submitted to the Lower House speaker’s office, a total of 58 deputies demanded that a law be written scrapping the gas deal with Israel.

House Speaker Atef Tarawneh tasked the Legal Committee to address the proposal as an urgent matter and submit its recommendations promptly.

A minimum of 10 senators or deputies have the right to propose or amend any law under Article 95 of the Constitution, which reads: "If the House is of the opinion that the proposal be accepted it shall refer it to the Government for drafting it in the form of draft law, and to submit it to the House either during the same session or at the following session."

In September, the Constitutional Court ruled that the gas deal between NEPCO and Noble Energy does not need Parliament’s approval. In a ruling published recently in the Official Gazette, the court explained that the government is not required to refer the gas deal to Parliament for approval, as it was signed between two companies and not two states.