Egypt Fully Resumes Gas Supplies to Jordan
Jordan said on Thursday Egypt has resumed full gas supply of 250 million cubic meters (8.8 billion cubic feet) a day to the energy-poor kingdom, after the flow was disrupted by repeated pipeline attacks.
"In the past few days, we received between 190 and 210 million cubic meters of gas from Egypt. But today Egypt resumed full supplies of 250 million cubic meters," Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur told a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Hisham Qandil.
"God willing, Jordan will not suffer from gas disruptions in the future. Our Egyptian brothers will do all they can to honor our joint agreement."
Egyptian gas covers 80 percent of electricity production demand in Jordan, which imports 95 percent of its energy needs.
The pipeline supplying gas from Egypt to both Israel and Jordan has been attacked 15 times since the uprising which toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
Bedouin militants are believed to be behind the attacks as Egypt has been gripped by security problems since the revolt. The Sinai Peninsula is particularly sensitive because of tensions with its heavily armed Bedouin community.
"Egypt's energy sector is facing real challenges in meeting local market needs as well as export demands," Qandil said.
"We are committed to supplying suitable gas amounts to Jordan in line with our agreement."
Egypt on April 21 announced a decision to cancel its gas exports to Israel, saying the Jewish state had not met certain clauses of their contract.
Cairo then said it was ready to resume exports to Israel but at a "new price and new conditions." Egypt supplies roughly 40 percent of Israel's gas.
"There are legal problems related to the contract. Nothing is political," said Qandil, who also held talks with King Abdullah II.
In November, Jordan raised fuel prices by up to 53 percent, prompting violent protests in which three people were killed and more than 70 injured.
Nsur also said he and Qandil discussed "measures to organize the situation of Egyptian workers in the kingdom," whose number he estimated, without elaborating, at 900,000. Jordan has a native population of nearly 7 million.
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