Jordan’s energy and mineral resources ministry said Wednesday that Amman imports an average of 300,000 barrels of Iraqi crude oil per month under a 2023 agreement with Baghdad, describing the supply as a key component of the Hashemite Kingdom’s energy security.“According to the memorandum of understanding signed between Iraq's oil ministry and the [Jordanian] energy and mineral resources ministry in May 2023, we import a daily amount of 10,000 barrels of crude from Iraq, and that amount increases or decreases by 15 percent depending on circumstances,” the Jordanian ministry’s spokesperson Linda Abadi told Rudaw, putting “the monthly average at 300,000 barrels.”She stressed the significance of Iraqi oil to “our country's energy security,” noting that “it constitutes seven percent of our crude oil needs.”Under the MoU, “the price [per barrel of oil] is set based on the monthly Brent crude price, with a deduction of $16 per barrel” to account for quality differences and transportation costs, Abadi said, noting that Jordanian tankers transport “half” of the monthly shipment.Information obtained by Rudaw from Iraq’s state-run North Oil Company (NOC) indicates that around 328,000 barrels of crude are exported to Jordan each month, all transported from Kirkuk province through tanker trucks.Abadi added that Jordan expects deeper energy cooperation once the planned Basra-Aqaba pipeline is developed. The project would transfer crude from Iraq’s southern Basra province to the Jordanian port city of Aqaba on the northeastern tip of the Red Sea.“The new export route will strengthen Jordan's position as a regional logistics gateway,” she said. Of note, Aqaba is Jordan’s only coastal city.Regarding electricity, Abadi said the first phase of the power interconnection line between the Risha Power Station, located in the eastern part of Jordan, and Iraq’s westernmost al-Rutba district entered service in March 2024 with a capacity of 40 megawatts (MW). The interconnection is expected to carry 150-200 MW across a 330-kilometer line and “will come into operation at the beginning of 2026,” she added.For his part, Iraq’s electricity ministry spokesperson told Rudaw on Wednesday that regional power link projects are progressing on several fronts. “The electricity connection project with the Gulf [Arab] states is ongoing, and 95 percent of the work related to Kuwait has been completed,” Ahmed Mousa said, adding that “In Basra’s Faw area, we have also completed 100 percent of our work.”“At the beginning of next year, 500 megawatts of electricity will be added through the Gulf states as the first phase. In the second phase, it will rise to 1,000 megawatts, and in the third phase it will reach 2,000 megawatts,” he added.Mousa elaborated that in addition to Jordan, Iraq is also expanding electricity cooperation with Turkey and Saudi Arabia. “All work on the [Saudi] agreement has been completed, and only the announcement of the start of operations remains,” he said.Iraq currently produces more than 27,000 megawatts of electricity, but needs around 54,000 megawatts to meet nationwide 24-hour demand, according to Mousa. (ICE AMMAN)

Fonte notizia: rudaw news