Jordan's House of Representatives Rejects Draft Agreement Pertaining to Israeli Gas Imports

Jordan’s House of Representatives voted against a draft agreement that would have stipulated importing gas from Israel, reported Middle East Monitor Thursday.

The government was asked to look for alternatives to secure the country's gas needs.

Speaking before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Jordan's Minister of Energy Mohammad Hamed said that the purchase of gas from Noble Energy does not threaten the future of Jordan and does not put the Jordanian economy at anyone's mercy, Middle East Monitor reported.

In September, Noble Energy  announced the execution of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) to supply natural gas from the Leviathan field, offshore Israel, to the National Electric Power Company Ltd. (NEPCO) of Jordan.  Delivery of natural gas is expected to occur at a border location between Israel and Jordan, following the completion of related pipeline infrastructure.

Jordan is staring at rising energy bills due to stoppage of gas supplies from Egypt and has been forced to use more expensive heavy fuel and diesel for power generation. 

Egypt gas supplies have stopped completely since May because of sabotage attacks on the pipeline.