Jordan's energy bill rise by 68 % in 8 months

Jordan's energy bill rose by 68 percent during the first eight months of 2011 due to increase in imports of heavy fuel and electricity in light of cut of natural gas supply, according to the figures of the Department of Statistics published Monday. Jordan's imports of fuel derivatives, petrol and electricity reached 2.180 billion Jordanian dinars (about 3.075 billion U.S. dollars) during the first eight months of this year compared to 1. 296 billion dinars (1.828 billion dollars) during the same period last year, the figures showed. In September, natural gas supply from Egypt to Jordan was halted due to an attack on a gas pipeline in Egypt, the sixth of its kind since the beginning of this year. The energy-poor kingdom, which imports about 96 percent of its energy needs annually, was forced to use alternative fuel to generate power. The daily cost of generating power based on heavy fuel and diesel is estimated at about three million Jordanian dinars (about 4.2 million dollar). Over the past three years, about 80 percent of power generated in the Kingdom relied on the Egyptian gas. In 2010, Jordan imported about 239 million cubic meters of gas from Egypt.