The Egyptian Minister of Petroleum has yet to sign a new agreement including price changes in the export of natural gas between Egypt and Jordan, sources said today. The reason for the reluctance is due to officials' concerns that the price will be U.S. $4 million per thermal unit, sources added. In addition, the principal players in the ministry, particularly Ibrahim Zahran and Ibrahim Yousri, are worried about possible litigation over prices, sources said. They noted that when gas export prices reached U.S. $9 million per thermal unit, some prominent state officials were transferred to trial. Sources also said that this agreement will not be signed until the military council agrees to the terms in a written agreement. The agreement has yet to be transferred to the Council of Ministers, a principal in the Ministry of Petroleum told Youm7, adding that Egyptian officials are worried about the price increase. Following the repeated attacks on the gas pipeline after the January 25 Revolution, Jordan now obtains 25 percent of its energy needs from Egyptian natural gas. The current agreement between Egypt and Jordan mandates the export of 240 million cubic feet daily to satisfy 80 percent of the electricity stations' needs. These stations satisfy 96 percent of the power needs in the country – 46 percent of the power is from Egyptian natural gas and 50 percent of the petroleum power is from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The dramatic attacks on the natural gas pipeline caused an estimated loss of U.S. $5 million to Jordan, who was forced to use heavy fuels and diesel to support energy needs.
