Ammon News - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said Monday that Jordan's imports of Iraqi crude during the period from September 9 to November 26 were about 840,000 barrels, an average of 9,700 barrels daily.

Kharabsheh said Jordan imports crude oil from Iraq at a daily rate of 10,000 barrels, covering about 7 per cent of the Kingdom's needs, that are transported from the Beji Refinery, 830 km from the Jordanian-Iraqi border.

He said that Jordan had coordinated with the Iraqi side to set up a station in Al Qaem in Anbar Province, 435 km from the border, as an alternative to Beji for loading crude due to its proximity to the Kingdom. But the Iraqis did not inform the ministry about its readiness, he added.

Jordan imports Iraqi crude under a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries in 2008, which is annually extended, but it was halted in late 2013 following the closure of the Treibil border crossing for security reasons. In 2017, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources asked the Iraqi side to renew the memorandum, which was revalidated in early 2019.

Iraqi crude is currently imported under a memorandum signed in early 2021 at a price $16 per barrel less than benchmark Brent crude price.