AMMAN, Jan 20 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan’s Lower House, on Sunday, endorsed a draft law that bans the import of Israeli gas to the country.
The lawmakers approved referring the bill to the government as a matter of urgency, Lower House Speaker, Atef Tarawneh, said.
He added that, as Jordan and Israel signed a peace deal in 1994, the endorsement of legislation should be in accordance with the Constitution.
The Lower House has repeatedly called on the government not to import Israeli gas.
Early in 2019, the state-run National Electric Power Company (NEPCO), started importing gas via Noble Energy from Israel.
The deal would have met 40 percent of Jordan’s gas needs and save about 600 million U.S. dollars every year, according to NEPCO.
Under the agreement, Noble Energy will provide gas worth 15 billion dollars to Jordan for a period of 15 years, or 300 million cubic feet on a daily basis.
Figures show Jordan’s 97 percent of its energy needs relies on imports.
