LONDON: Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic signed an agreement in Damascus for the latter to receive natural gas via Jordanian territory to support the country’s electricity sector and address energy shortages.

Sofian Bataineh, the Jordanian director-general of the National Electric Power Co., and Hashem Saleh, the deputy CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Co., signed the agreement on Monday.

Jordan’s Minister of Energy Saleh Kharabsheh announced that under the agreement, Jordan will supply Syria with 4 million cubic meters of natural gas daily, or approximately 140 million cubic feet. This supply aims to stabilize Syria’s electricity grid and support its power generation plants, he said.

Jordan began supplying Syria with natural gas this January, with daily amounts between 30 million and 90 million cubic feet to help improve the energy sector and reduce power outages, according to the Petra news agency.

Kharabsheh said that the project leverages Jordan’s floating storage and regasification unit at the Port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, which receives liquefied natural gas from global markets, regasifies it, and transfers it through the Arab Gas Pipeline to Damascus, as the necessary infrastructure is lacking in Syria.

He added that the agreement highlights Jordan’s role as a regional energy hub and its support for Syria, promoting Arab economic integration.

Kharabsheh, along with Syria’s Minister of Energy Mohammed Bashir, attended the signing ceremony in Damascus.