Amman, Aug. 14 (Petra) –Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Thursday signed agreements between the Nippon Jordan Fertilizer Company (NJFC), Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company (Fajr), and Tanmia Gas Company (Tanmia) to connect and supply natural gas to NJFC’s plant in the southern area of Aqaba.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, Chairman of Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) Mohammed Thneibat, Chairman of the NJFC Faris Qatarneh, and Chairman and CEO of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Ziad Saaida attended the signing ceremony.
Fajr CEO Fouad Rashad, NJFC General Manager Abdel Wahab Rowwad, and Tanmia CEO Mohammad Tarabili signed the agreements.
Kharabsheh said the deal will “directly” strengthen domestic industry especially phosphate-related industries by lowering energy costs and boosting competitiveness.
Through the national program to deliver natural gas to cities and industrial clusters, he noted the ministry aims to ease burdens on manufacturers and support private-sector investors, noting that natural gas offers the best mix of cost and environmental performance for industry.
Thneibat, in turn, said this agreement is the second with the ministry, four years after the first, which secured a sustainable energy source for the phosphate mines.
Thneibat expressed JPMC’s readiness to cooperate with the ministry to produce ammonia from Risha gas once transported to Aqaba, as well as to extract sulfur from natural gas.
Rashad said the agreement will cut production costs, improve the global competitiveness of Jordanian products, and create jobs. He added that using natural gas as a substitute fuel carries major environmental benefits and supports the Kingdom’s path to net-zero emissions.
Rowwad said the agreement provides for a metering unit and a gas line to the plant boundary to supply 225,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas per day, replacing heavy fuel oil in production. He noted that gas-fired equipment requires less maintenance than heavy-fuel systems, reducing downtime and costs and raising productivity.
The agreement is part of ongoing cooperation among the ministry, Fajr, and Tanmia to expand natural-gas supply projects for Jordan’s industrial sector projects that deliver economic and environmental gains and help reduce unemployment.
NJFC produces about 300,000 tonnes annually of compound fertilizers and diammonium phosphate (DAP). Switching to natural gas will generate direct savings compared with other fuels, strengthening the company’s competitiveness and export capacity.
Tanmia provides economic and technical solutions for connecting and using natural gas as an alternative industrial fuel.
//Petra// AO
14/08/2025 15:58:24
