Energy minister inaugurates compressed natural gas station

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh inaugurated on Friday the Jordan Gas Company's compressed natural gas (CNG) station in the Risha region of Ruwaished district.

Kharabsheh said that this project is the first of its kind in the Kingdom dedicated to supplying CNG to industries, stressing its importance as a key energy initiative under the Executive Programme of the Economic Modernisation Vision, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The CNG project is one of three expected projects in the Risha area to produce compressed natural gas, which will be transported to industries via specialised tankers, the minister said.

He added that the project has two stations: the main "mother station" at the Risha gas field and the secondary "daughter station" close to the consumers, noting that this effort is designed to leverage additional gas production from the Risha field by allowing private sector investors to transport compressed and liquefied gas to consumption centres, thereby increasing reliance on local resources, expanding employment opportunities and reducing operating costs for industries.

The primary objective of the project has been to support national industries and economic sectors, as the use of natural gas is expected to provide savings of over 50 per cent compared with diesel, over 20 per cent compared with heavy fuel oil and over 40 per cent compared to liquefied gas, he said. 

Kharabsheh added that the new main station has a capacity of 20 million cubic feet per day.

Coinciding with the station's inauguration, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Ziad Saideh unveiled the launch of the Kingdom's first natural gas-powered tanker, making a departure from conventional diesel fuel. 

Efficient transportation of the gas to end-users will be through specialised trucks and trailers.