Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - he government bought fuel worth almost JD5.4 million for its fleet of cars from gas stations belonging to the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC) during the first nine months of this year, according to JPRC figures.

JPRC CEO Abdul Karim Alaween told The Jordan Times recently over the phone that the refinery’s gas stations are not the only suppliers of fuel for public sector vehicles, as Total Jordan and Manaseer fuel stations also provide the fleet with 90-octane and 95-octane gasoline.

JPRC, Total and Manaseer are supplying oil derivatives to the country’s 450 gas stations under distribution agreements signed with the government in November 2012.

Each firm is serving as the exclusive fuel supplier to one-third of the country’s gas stations for a three-year period.

Although The Jordan Times tried several times to contact Total and Manaseer to obtain the value of fuel supplied by them, no one was available for comment.

Alaween indicated that fuel expenses of government cars during the first three quarters of 2013 saw a 1 per cent in terms of value, compared with the JD5.5 million fuel bill between January and September last year.

But in terms of quantity in litres, consumption went down by 17 per cent, he noted.

Government cars consumed less fuel but as oil prices in the domestic market went up after subsidies were lifted in November last year, the value was almost close to the of the same period in 2012, he explained.

According to the Audit Bureau, there are approximately 20,000 public sector vehicles.

Spending allocations for these vehicles, including fuel and maintenance, exceeded JD83 million in 2011, according to bureau estimates.


*JORDAN TIMES