Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi announced in Cairo the formation of a higher committee to supervise the implementation of a project for supplying Jordan, Syria and Lebanon with Egyptian gas, noting that the committee will group the concerned ministries of the four countries.
He said the higher committee will later set up subcommittees representing firms that will implement the project which is expected to take 30 months to complete.
According to Fahmi, two companies will be formed, the first of which would be entrusted with the task of laying the pipelines from Arish in the Sinai to northern Lebanon and Syria and later to Jordan. He said the company would invest $800 million in the project.
The other company which is to invest $200 million would be entrusted with transporting and marketing the gas within cities of the four concerned countries, Fahmi added.
For his part, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Wael Sabri said his ministry will finalise a feasibility study within the coming two months on Jordanian participation in the project.
In a statement to Al Rai Arabic daily, Sabri said the project is of paramount importance to the Kingdom, as the imported gas will be used to operate electric power plants with a lesser degree of pollution and better efficiency than the current system.
Egypt, Syria and Lebanon have been encouraging Jordan to join the plan, which is considered one of the largest projects on the pan-Arab level.
Sabri said the Egyptian side has been studying the idea of laying the gas pipeline from Arish to Aqaba now that the port city is being transformed into a Special Economic Zone which will be in need of large quantities of gas for investment projects.
( Jordan Times )
