AMMAN — The gas compression plant (Jordan chlorine) that is currently under construction in the Risha area is one of the most important energy projects underway, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said on Saturday.

During a tour of the Risha gas field, the Jordan Chlorine plant and the electricity interconnection with Iraq project, the minister said that the gas compression project aims to increase the industrial use of natural gas, especially since production of the Risha gas field exceeds the needs of the Risha power plant, according to a ministry statement.

The project is part of an executive programme to the Economic Modernisation Vision, the minister noted.

Kharabsheh said that the gas compression project is one of three projects to produce compressed natural gas in Risha, noting that the natural gas production will become an industrial fuel source, saving about 50 per cent of the cost of diesel.

The installation of gas units will begin in two months, and they will be commercially operational by the end of this year, contributing to encouraging industries to use natural gas as an alternative to heavy fuel, the ministry said.

The ministry will float bids for the delivery of natural gas to the Muwaqqar and Rawdah industrial estates, the minister said, adding that the move is aimed at reducing the industrial sector's operating costs and creating more job opportunities.

National Petroleum Company (NPC) Director-General Mohammed Khasawneh said that the company has signed agreements with four local companies (National Chlorine Industries Company, Jordan Liquefied Gas Company, Manaseer Company and Unigaz) for the purpose of selling natural gas from the field, after which the companies would convert the gas into compressed or liquefied gas, ultimately transporting it via dedicated tankers to consumption points.

He explained that the National Chlorine Industries Company started civil construction work in February and is expected to finish in August before embarking on purchasing the Risha gas.

Khasawneh expects that by the end of 2024, extraction between the three companies will reach 20 million cubic feet (mcf) per day, as well as 18mcf per day sold to Samra Power Plant-Risha Station.

He reviewed the plans and programmes of the NPC for the 2020-2030 periods, which aim at increasing production capacity from the field to 200mcf per day in 2030.

The director also noted that the plan includes a drilling programme of some 55-70 new wells during this period and conducting geological and geophysical studies with the aim of locating drilling sites and determining gas reserve values in the field.

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