Energy minister holds discussions in Abu Dhabi to enhance clean energy investments in Jordan

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, on the sidelines of the second day of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2024), discussed opportunities for investment cooperation in the fields of energy storage and clean energy production in Jordan.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Wednesday, Kharabsheh and officials of the Abu Dhabi Future Renewable Energy Company (Masdar) discussed energy storage issues, especially since Masdar has extensive experience and successful projects in this field.

The two sides also explored the possibility of wind energy production to support green hydrogen projects in the Kingdom, a project that aligns with the Kingdom's goals of achieving energy sustainability and providing clean energy sources that help meet climate change requirements.

For their part, Masdar officials expressed keenness to continue presenting new investment projects in Jordan, underscoring the importance of Jordan's attractive investment environment and the political and security stability that characterises the Jordanian market.

Masdar's project Baynouna is one of the company's flagship projects in Jordan, with a capacity of 200 megawatts, making it the largest operational solar power plant in the Kingdom to date, with an investment value of $240 million.

The project was completed, connected, and commercially operational in December 2020.

In another meeting, Kharabsheh met with representatives from the Chinese United Energy Group Ltd., which operates in the oil and gas sector and has an interest in green hydrogen production. 

The company had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan to produce hydrogen and showed interest in investment opportunities presented by Kharabsheh in the areas of oil and gas exploration in Jordan.

Meanwhile, Kharabsheh and Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi discussed issues related to the Arab Gas Pipeline and the future of gas in Jordan, according to a second ministry statement.

The two sides, during the meeting that was held on the sidelines of the ADIPEC 2024, reviewed the plan to connect the Risha gas field to the Arab Gas Pipeline through a 300-kilometre pipeline, based on recent studies indicating the presence of commercial quantities of gas in the Risha field.

The two ministers also went over Jordanian-Egyptian cooperation in the field of vehicle gas.

Both sides agreed to hold technical meetings between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation to cooperate on oil and gas exploration in open areas of the Kingdom, benefiting from Egyptian expertise in the field.

Egypt Gas Company and the Aqaba Development Corporation have recently signed an agreement to implement a project to supply Aqaba’s Al-Quweira Industrial City with natural gas. 

The agreement includes establishing a natural gas pipeline network, essential infrastructure, a control and operations building, and general safety systems as per the highest standards regulating the gas sector, according to the statement.