In a ceremony on 7 July, Jordanian PM Bisher al-Khasawneh and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati celebrated reaching 1,500-2,000 b/d production at Hamza oilfield. Prior to this, output had been essentially zero – just 500 b/d according to 2020 government statistics.

Ms Zawati says the two-year campaign to rehabilitate the field, located on the Saudi border, went through “two phases.” The first being topside refurbishment, and the second well workovers. She adds that “phase three” will include drilling new wells, adding that Jordan had not drilled in Hamza “since 1989.” Despite exploration in Jordan dating back as far as 1947, the kingdom has never enjoyed any major successes. (CONTINUED - 156 WORDS)