Jordan has the perfect recipe for generating interest within the international oil and gas community — underexplored acreage; oil and gas shows not associated with known structures; and surface seeps, asphalt impregnations, and near-surface deposits of oil shales.

The country is not unaware of its resource potential, and the Jordanian government is implementing a series

of legislative policies to ensure a sustainable, low-cost energy supply. These policies include diversifying sources of energy, developing and using local conventional and renewable sources of energy such as oil shale and uranium, liberating the energy markets, creating opportunities for the private sector and encouraging investment in energy sector infrastructure projects, reinforcing regional energy grid projects, and rationalizing energy consumption in all sectors to improve efficiency.

Oil shale has become an area of primary interest. The country is rich in deposits (see map) and has an estimated 102 Bbbl of demonstrated reserves. Development of these shales is in line with the country’s energy strategy, sources said.

According to a presentation by Maher I. Hijazin, director general of Jordan’s Natural Resources Authority, oil shale can fit successfully within his country’s energy portfolio. Currently oil and gas imports make up 95% of this portfolio, with gas production accounting for 3% and renewables accounting for 2%. There is tremendous upside both for oil shale and for nuclear power to impact the percentage of imports, he said.

Given that upside, oil shale exploitation is considered a long-term strategic option in meeting the energy demand from indigenous resources, as is attracting inward, national, and international investments.

Hijazin said his country has more than 40 billion tons of proven reserves that can be accessed through retorting, a process whereby the shale is mined at the surface and put in a heater to separate the oil from the shale. Various characteristics make Jordan’s oil shale reserves amenable to this process:

• There is minimal overburden

• There is a good stripping ratio

• There is an absence of significant structural disturbances

• There are favorable mining conditions

• Deposits are located in thinly populated areas but have good roads connected with asphalt highways

• There is low moisture content.

The country is also considering in situ exploitation in which “heater holes” are drilled to separate the oil from the shale downhole.

While Jordan is proposing terms for its shale projects, Hijazin said the number and timing of developments is uncertain and that initial projects could be smaller to prove up the technology. Feasibility studies would have to determine not only technical capability — geology; mining; surface retorting; engineering; and health, safety, and environment — but also commercial capabilities.

While there are many issues to iron out before oil shale development is widespread in Jordan, Hijazin said, the Jordanian legislation is “fully appropriate” to oil shale projects.

Already one company, UK-based Jordan Energy & Mining Ltd., is developing projects in the country. The Al Lajjun shale project is a near-surface mining operation with high oil content and low moisture. Its operations use the Thyssen Krupp Group process technology, which uses waste gases to power the turbines, has comparable CO2 emissions to conventional oil operations, and requires minimal water.

For more information about oil shale in Jordan, visit www.nra.gov.jo.