Gas output from Jordan's Risheh field is expected to double from the current 26 million cubic feet per day (cf/d) when a new seven-million dollar pipeline is built, linking the field’s northern and southern zones.
Jordan's National Petroleum Company (NPC) holds since 1996 the concession for exploring and developing a 7,500 square kilometer area in the eastern desert, part of which is the 1,500 square kilometer Risheh field.
Last year the government invited foreign oil and gas companies to enter into a production-sharing agreement with NPC. A $98 million agreement was signed in March 2002 with Indonesia’s Golden Spark Ezemi Company (GSE), providing for the development of the Risheh field. GSE committed to investing $67 million, while NPC was to bring in another $31 million.
The Jordanian government is planning to begin phasing in the use of natural gas as a primary energy source for industry, instead of heavy fuel imported largely from Iraq, and hopes to reach a higher degree of self-sufficiency in energy.
Gas from the Risheh field currently generates 90-100 MW of electricity in the Risheh Gas Fired Power Station, equivalent to nearly 13 percent of Jordan's power requirements. Its gas reserves are forecasted to meet Jordan's energy needs until 2025. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
