Jordan Plans To Become Regional Energy Hub By 2030 - Energy Minister

Faizan Hashmi Published September 15, 2021 | 07:39 PM

Jordan intends to become a regional energy hub by 2030 and supply energy to Lebanon, the country's energy minister, Hala Zawati, said Wednesday

AMMAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th September, 2021) Jordan intends to become a regional energy hub by 2030 and supply energy to Lebanon, the country's energy minister, Hala Zawati, said Wednesday.

"In 2014, Jordan imported 98% of electricity (consumed in the country), today this figure is already 88% ... We will become a regional energy hub," the minister said at the conference on water resources and energy in Amman.

Jordan has been in talks with Iraq about the joint construction of an oil pipeline to supply Iraqi oil to Jordanian Aqaba and further, according to the national energy strategy for 2020-2030, presented by Zawati. The strategy also presupposes widespread use of natural gas, supplied by other Arab countries, in the transport sector.

Additionally, Jordan can begin providing energy to Lebanon, which has been facing an acute shortage of electricity and fuel, the minister noted.

At the same time, Zawati drew attention to the growing issue of water shortages, which could negatively affect the region's energy sector - the second largest consumer of water resources after agriculture.

The UN has already estimated that the world will experience a 40% shortfall of water by 2030, the minister remarked.

On September 8, energy ministers of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt met in Amman to discuss the supply of Egyptian gas to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria. Following the talks, the ministers announced that they will hold a new meeting on the creation of a common power supply system in the near future.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been in a deep political and economic crisis, with the population experiencing shortages of fuel, medicines and other essentials. The country's state-owned power company has been generating minimal amounts of power, leaving businesses and households dependent on small privately-owned generators.