Jordan this week issued a tender to transport a maximum of 10,000 b/d of Kirkuk crude from Baiji refinery in Iraq to its 70,000 b/d Zarqa refinery. The Jordan Times reports that the deadline to submit bids is 4 April, and that Jordan will receive the shipments at a discount of $16/B to Brent. The tender follows a MoU signed in late January between Amman and Baghdad to cooperate on various energy matters (MEES, 1 February).
With Jordan heavily dependent on oil imports to meet domestic demand, any additional sources will be warmly welcomed. Jordan and Iraq have long-planned a Basra-Aqaba crude pipeline that would provide Iraq with an additional export outlet on the Red Sea and Jordan with a steady source of oil, but the project continues to gain little traction. (CONTINUED - 130 WORDS)