Jordan’s imports of Iraqi crude are set to rise to 15,000 b/d, a spokesman of the ‘Amman-based consortium Dhiabat and Zoubi announced. The consortium transports the Iraqi crude overland by tanker truck from Baiji in Iraq to the 100,000 b/d Zarqa refinery in Jordan. According to MEES sources, imports of Iraqi crude averaged 11,000 b/d in December last year, and 10,000 b/d in each of the three previous months. But the consortium estimates average imports of Iraqi crude into Jordan at a higher level of 12,500 b/d in the past four months. The Iraqi crude is sold at a preferential price, which allows Jordan to save about $6/B for crude delivered to the Zarqa refinery.

After the January 2011 Egyptian revolution, supplies of Egyptian gas to Jordan via the Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP), which fuelled more than 80% of the kingdom’s electricity generation, were severely disrupted. The Jordanian government had to resort to importing more crude and products to offset this shortage. Under contract it imports about 80,000 b/d of crude from Saudi Aramco at international prices. (CONTINUED - 288 WORDS)