DAMASCUS/AMMAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Monday signed an agreement to supply natural gas to Syria via Jordanian territory, Syrian authorities said in a statement.
According to the statement, this move is a key step in securing fuel for power plants, diversifying gas sources and stabilizing electricity supply in Syria.
The deal was signed in Damascus between the Syrian Petroleum Company and Jordan's National Electric Power Company, in the presence of Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Al Kharabsheh and his Syrian counterpart, Mohammad al Bashir.
Under the agreement, Jordan will supply Syria with around 4 million cubic meters (140 million cubic feet) of natural gas per day, to support the country's electricity grid.
Jordanian officials said gas deliveries had already begun on Jan. 1, at volumes ranging between 30 and 90 million cubic feet per day.
The gas is being supplied via a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) operated by Egypt's Energos Force, currently docked at the Jordanian port of Aqaba. To ensure supply continues beyond March, Jordan is also leasing an additional FSRU, officials said.
The agreement comes as Syrian authorities have recently reasserted control over major oil and gas fields and infrastructure in the north and east following security arrangements with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. ■
