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Ammon News - Minister of Energy Saleh Kharabsheh stressed the importance of conducting an electrical interconnection project to supply Europe with green energy from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

He made the remark during a meeting on Thursday with a British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) delegation currently visiting the Kingdom for parliamentary cooperation.

The minister said electric connection with Europe achieves integration between stakeholder countries by supplying the continent with relatively low-cost energy generated from renewable sources. The linking includes the northern Mediterranean countries, he said, to provide them with green hydrogen and contribute to their commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

"Such a project will make Jordan a regional hub for the export of green energy, which contributes significantly to the implementation of future energy projects," Kharabsheh added.

Jordan, he continued, seeks to turn its electric power grid into a smart one and accommodate the quantitive leap in sustainable energy usage, which currently composes 29 percent of total electric power generated in Jordan compared to 1 percent in 2014.

Kharabsheh briefed the delegation on developments in mineral resources exploration, saying Jordan has so far signed five memoranda of understanding for mineral exploration, some of which gave preliminary, hopeful indicators, especially for phosphate, copper, and gold.

Pointing to the Syrian crisis' repercussions on the Jordanian infrastructure and host communities, which provide services to about 1.3 million Syrian refugees, the minister urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in mitigating the consequences on the Kingdom.

The United Kingdom is a strategic and supportive partner to the Kingdom, he said, pointing to the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II to Britain on November 10 and the positive impact of such visits on cooperation.

He called on the British delegation to tap into Jordanian investment opportunities in clean energy. During the meeting, he answered inquiries about the energy sector and the repercussions of the refugee crisis on the Kingdom.