Jordan holds one-month fuel reserve for power as regional energy costs soar

WEB DESK: Jordan’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, has confirmed that the Kingdom maintains sufficient fuel reserves to sustain electricity generation for approximately one month in the event of a total supply disruption.

According to Jordan News, speaking on the activation of the national emergency energy plan, the Minister noted that broader strategic petroleum stocks including gasoline and diesel are currently secured to cover a period of 30 to 60 days.

The announcement comes as Jordan pivots its energy strategy to mitigate the impact of regional supply volatilely, particularly following the suspension of Mediterranean gas flows which typically account for a significant portion of the national power mix.

Fiscal burden of global price hikes

Despite the security of supply, the transition to alternative energy sources has placed an immense strain on the national treasury.

Minister Al-Kharabsheh revealed a sharp rise in generation costs, with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices increasing fourfold to $28/MMBtu compared to previous pipeline rates. To shield citizens from these global fluctuations and maintain tariff stability, the government is currently absorbing between JOD 2.5m and JOD 3m in daily losses.

Notwithstanding these ongoing regional pressures, authorities have explicitly ruled out the implementation of “load shedding” or programmed power outages.

Instead, the Ministry is fast-tracking long-term energy independence initiatives, most notably through the expansion of domestic production at the Risha Gas Field, where officials aim to drill dozens of new wells to bolster national self-sufficiency by 2029.