AMMAN, Jordan, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Jordanian officials said they are looking at all of their options, including importing oil from Iraq, in response to attacks on Egyptian natural gas networks.
Though Israeli officials said consumers upstream weren't directly affected, a pipeline explosion in the Sinai Peninsula disrupted Egyptian gas deliveries for the fifth time this year.
Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khaled Touqan told The Jordan Times that Amman was looking at importing as much as 30,000 tons of heavy oil from Iraq.
"We are currently studying all options and we will utilize whatever energy sources we can get," he was quoted as saying.
Touqan said after a previous pipeline attack in July that the Jordanian Petroleum Refinery Co. had more than 100,000 tons of heavy fuel on hand, enough to keep power stations running for 43 days. There was enough diesel fuel available to meet the grid's demands for 22 days if Egyptian gas disruptions continue, he added.
Jordan imports most of the energy it needs. The government said it was starting to view Egypt as an unreliable energy partner given the number of attacks on energy infrastructure.
