AMMAN — The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Thursday signed an addendum to extend the agreement for transporting regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Aqaba.

The agreement aims to supply power plants and the industrial sector through the Kingdom’s main gas transmission network, according to an Energy Ministry statement.

The tripartite agreement was signed by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, CEO of the Jordanian-Egyptian Fajr for Natural Gas Company Yasser Salah El Din and Director-General of the National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) Sufian Bataineh.

The extension builds on existing cooperation among the three parties to ensure the continuous supply of natural gas through the national transmission network.

It also seeks to enhance the reliability of energy supplies, meet the needs of power generation and industrial facilities and support government efforts to improve the efficiency of the national energy system while reducing operational costs.

During the signing ceremony, Kharabsheh said the agreement represents an important step toward strengthening the flexibility of Jordan’s energy system and developing its natural gas infrastructure to ensure supply sustainability and provide reliable energy sources that support the national economy.

The extended agreement guarantees the continued supply of natural gas to the power and industrial sectors, meeting domestic market demand and improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the energy system.

The extension follows the expiry of the previous ten-year agreement, which began in 2015 and coincided with the departure of the floating vessel Energos Eskimo from Aqaba Port.

Under the new terms, gas transport operations will continue via the vessel Energos Force, currently moored in Aqaba and chartered by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), or other vessels as needed, until the completion of the new LNG port development project in Aqaba, expected by the end of 2026.

NEPCO affirmed that the agreement entails no additional financial obligations, as transportation costs are only incurred during actual transport operations, in accordance with the tariff specified under the 2004 licensing agreement between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Jordanian-Egyptian Fajr for Natural Gas Company.

The extension aligns with the Kingdom’s Economic Modernisation Vision and the ministry’s strategy to diversify natural gas supply sources and optimise the use of the 500-kilometre main gas network, which runs from Aqaba in the south to the Jordanian-Syrian border in the north, supplying several power plants and industrial facilities along the route.

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