Zawati clarifies the details of the “Ma’an Refinery” and the dispute with the Kuwaiti investor
Amman Today
publish date 2021-09-26 16:29:05
The Energy and Mineral Resources Committee of the Senate met today, Sunday, with the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, headed by the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Saleh Irsheidat.
Irsheidat said, in the presence of members of the committee, heads of committees in the council, and Assistant Secretary-General for Energy Affairs in the ministry, Engineer Hassan Al-Hiyari, that Jordan is a state of institutions and there is a clear and announced methodology for dealing with investment, stressing the Kingdom’s keenness to attract Arab investment, especially from Kuwait, which has deep and strategic brotherly relations with Jordan.
He added that the energy sector is “sensitive” and investment in it is being dealt with within standards and conditions that ensure the achievement of our national goals. He continued: We heard from the Minister of Energy, during the meeting, details of what happened with an investor’s request to establish an oil refinery, and the correspondence, and the accompanying rumors and incorrect information.
Irsheidat praised the efforts made by the ministry to implement the national strategy aimed at diversifying energy sources and forms, and increasing the contribution of local energy sources to the total energy mix.
The Minister of Energy, in turn, affirmed the ministry’s keenness and seriousness to attract investments in the energy sector, and that the ministry’s doors are open to any investments that follow the rules and principles.
She presented a file expressing interest in establishing a crude oil refinery in Ma’an Governorate, stressing that the ministry was and still seeks to attract investments that constitute an added value to the national economy and contribute to enhancing the security of energy supply and reducing unemployment.
Zawati said that the ministry’s relationship with the investor Sheikh Mashal Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah began when he submitted a request for interest to the ministry in February 2019 to establish an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in the city of Ma’an. Which includes the necessity of the company’s technical and financial solvency to establish such type of projects.
She added: The investor was directed to prepare an economic feasibility study for the project, and when the ministry received a preliminary study in September 2019, it confirmed its no objection to investing in a project to establish a new oil refinery in the city of Ma’an, in accordance with the mechanism approved by the Council of Ministers and the conditions and requirements contained in the letter of initial approval and on The investor must abide by the timetable that he had submitted in the initial economic feasibility study.
Zawati said: In February 2020, the investor informed the Ministry of the existence of developers, technicians and financial professionals involved in the project. Accordingly, the Ministry requested him to provide it with detailed information about the coalition, the international developers, and the timetable needed to implement the project’s work plan, but that did not happen. Coalition members, it also did not.
Zawati went on to list the details of the relationship with the issue of investment in Ma’an and said: From that date until 9/5/2021, five official books were directed to remind the investor of the documents and documents required to be submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. A meeting was held in the second half of September. The Ministry responded and thanked the investor in turn, welcomed the meeting and requested that it be provided with documents so that those concerned with the Ministry could study the documents and documents so that the meeting would be fruitful and constructive.
She added: However, the ministry was not provided with the required documents and papers, and a letter was received from the investor on 9/19/2021 suggesting that the meetings be held at the end of September 2021. To determine the proposed date for holding the meeting, and on 9/23/2021, the Ministry was informed of the cancellation of the visit due to the lack of confirmation of dates.
The minister stressed the ministry’s interest in such large projects and that its responsibility is to verify the eligibility of companies that apply to establish projects to ensure their implementation on the ground.
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Parliament of Jordan
Source : اخبار الاردن