By Taylor Luck
AMMAN – Explosions in the Sinai Peninsula severed Egyptian gas supplies to Jordan on Thursday, casting doubt over the security of the Kingdom’s main energy source.
The blast, which marks the seventh act of sabotage on the Arab Gas Pipeline this year, took place at dawn on Thursday northwest of Al Arish in the Sinai Peninsula, according to Egyptian officials.
In a statement, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura confirmed that the Sinai blast “completely severed” natural gas supplies to Jordan, which the country relies on for over 80 per cent of its electricity needs.
With the disruption, the Kingdom’s power plants will resort to their diesel and heavy fuel oil reserves – enough for 30 days – costing the country some JD3 million per day, according to the ministry.
Flames rise from a pipeline that delivers gas to Jordan and Israel after it was hit by an explosion, some 40km west of the town of Al Arish in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, early on Thursday (AFP photo)