Ammon News - A senior energy official on Wednesday dismissed concerns over potential fuel shortages, asserting that the Kingdom maintains a "comfortable" 60-day strategic reserve of petroleum products and cooking gas despite heightened regional volatility.

Hassan Al-Hayari, Director General of the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC), stated that national supply chains remain fully operational and insulated from regional maritime tensions. Addressing a recent spike in domestic demand, Al-Hayari revealed that the Kingdom processed an additional 1.7 million gas cylinders in March compared to the same period last year – a surge that followed a 700,000-cylinder increase in January.

"Our energy strategy is built on expanding storage capacity and ensuring the continuity of supply," Al-Hayari said in a press briefing. "The current inventory of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and refined derivatives is sufficient to cover two months of domestic consumption, in full alignment with international safety standards."

The stability of Jordan's energy sector is largely attributed to its logistical decoupling from the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Hayari noted that Jordan’s primary import route for crude oil and LPG originates from Saudi Aramco via the Port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, terminating at the Port of Aqaba.

A vessel carrying approximately 12,000 tons of gas recently docked at Aqaba, part of a regular monthly schedule of four to six shipments. Additionally, Jordan continues to import roughly one million barrels of crude oil per month from Saudi Arabia, with two shipments secured in March specifically to bolster strategic stockpiles.

The Kingdom’s energy architecture relies on a dual-track storage system managed by the JPRC and the Jordan Logistics State Company (JTSC). Combined assets across sites in Zarqa and Aqaba include:

– Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG): 49,000 tons total (28,000 via JPRC; 21,000 via JTSC).
– Diesel/Soolar: 160,000 tons held by JTSC, supplemented by JPRC’s multi-product capacity.
– Gasoline: 175,000 tons of Octane 90 and 40,000 tons of Octane 95 held by JTSC.
– Kerosene: 24,000 tons held by JTSC.

Al-Hayari emphasized that the government has not yet been forced to tap into its emergency strategic reserves this year, as commercial deliveries have remained synchronized with demand. He urged the public to disregard rumors of impending scarcity, affirming that all technical schedules for refining and distribution are proceeding without interruption.