Egypt boosts electricity exports to Jordan by 29% amid gas supply halt

The Egyptian government has increased its electricity exports to Jordan by 29%, raising the daily supply to 225MW  from 175MW, Asharq Business reported on March 2.

The move aims at supporting the stability of the kingdom’s energy system following a halt in gas supplies, especially from Israel, following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. The expanded interconnection is expected to enhance regional energy cooperation and provide greater flexibility in managing supply and demand fluctuations between the two neighbouring countries.

The government official told Asharq Business that the additional electricity flows were introduced to help Jordan manage its power needs after disruptions to gas imports placed pressure on its generation capacity.

The official said that the increase in exports would not affect domestic demand in Egypt. The decision was taken following an assessment of the national electricity grid's readiness and resilience, which confirmed that spare capacity was sufficient to accommodate the higher export volumes without straining local supply or affecting peak loads.

Egypt and Jordan share a long-standing 500 MW power link via a 13-kilometre submarine cable under the Gulf of Aqaba, which has been operational since 1999. The two countries are also working to significantly expand their cross-border interconnection. Plans are underway to raise the electricity exchange capacity to 2,000 MW in the coming period, up from the current 500MW.

Earlier, Israel suspended roughly 1.1bn cubic feet per day of natural gas exports from the Leviathan and Tamar fields under force majeure clauses, citing security risks following Iranian retaliatory strikes. Jordan has activated an emergency plan to switch power plants from gas to more expensive diesel, while Egypt is leasing floating regasification units and accelerating LNG imports to fill the 2bn cubic feet per day supply gap.