Jordan Facing Harsh Reality Of Israel Gas Imports

27 Oct 2023 Issue: 66 / 43 By: Peter Stevenson

Jordan’s energy sector often slips under the radar, but it is a key outlet for Israeli gas and now the only conduit for exports to Egypt. The longer the Gaza conflict drags on, the more pressure Amman will face to halt the flows.

Jordan is especially vulnerable to the risk of spillover from the Israel-Gaza conflict which risks destabilizing the wider region. Not just does it share a lengthy border with Israel, but Jordan’s main sociopolitical schism is between East Bankers and its majority Palestinian population, meaning that Israel-Palestine conflicts always hold the potential to cause unrest in Jordan.

Balancing this has long been a tricky challenge for Jordan’s King Abdullah and the country’s government, and it has grown especially sensitive since Jordan has become reliant on Israeli gas imports. The start-up of a pipeline connection to Israel in late 2019 (MEES, 21 June 2019) enabled the delivery of up to 3bcm/y (290mn cfd) of Israeli gas to Jordan for domestic consumption and re-export through to Egypt via the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP). (CONTINUED - 946 WORDS)