AMMAN, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Al Kharabsheh said on Tuesday that the estimated recoverable natural gas quantities from the Risha field are "promising," amounting to 4.675 trillion cubic feet.
The minister, in a televised live press conference on the state-owned Al Mamlaka TV, emphasized that the rehabilitation and drilling of wells in the field will take years and require billions of dollars in investments.
Located in the northeastern Mafraq Governorate near the Iraqi border, the Risha gas field is the only producing gas field in the kingdom.
During the conference, the minister pointed out that the government is in the process of establishing a gas pipeline from Risha to the Khnaiseiri area, spanning 320 km, to connect it with the Arab Gas Pipeline, as the government aims to deliver Risha gas to various industrial cities in the kingdom.
The significance of this project lies in providing an alternative and lower-cost energy source for industrial areas, enabling them to compete, open new markets, increase production through new production lines, and create more job opportunities for Jordanians, the minister said.
Kharabsheh also mentioned that a study is underway to relocate one of the power plants to the Risha area, and the National Petroleum Company is working on a plan to drill eight wells in the field, which will be implemented next year. ■
