Shale potential as a source for oil and natural gas has prompted the Jordanian government to sign various agreements with international companies to search for the valuable rock throughout the kingdom.
The agreements will enable Jordan to produce energy from shale by 2018.
Speaking to KUNA on the subject, executive at the Jordanian ministry of energy and mineral resources Hazem Al-Ramini said that shale contains many minerals that through certain processes will produce oil, gas, and energy.
He indicated that there an enormous amount of shale throughout Jordan with the current discovered locations able to produce around 28 million barrels of oil equivalent.
The official said that there are various means to extract minerals from shale, stressing that the government should focus on methods that were less costly, more energy efficient, and environment friendly.
Mostly, shale will be used as fuel for power stations in the country, said Al-Ramini, adding that the government had been studying the economic benefits of using shale for quite some time and now is taking some stern steps to realize the potential of such resource.
In three years the government is planning to reach a production capacity of 38 barrels per day, said Al-Ramini, noting that what would be produce by then would be used to generate electricity.