Xinhua: Jordan keen to build oil shale power plant

Jordan's cabinet approved on Wednesday signing four agreements with Estonian company Eesti Energia to build a mega oil shale power plant in the kingdom, the state-run Petra new agency reported.

The deals will cover a period of 27 years, the report said.

Jordan has over 40 billion tons of oil shale in reserves and the power plant with investment totaling 2.4 billion U.S. dollars will produce electricity through direct oil shale burning.

The 470-megawatts plant is expected to be operational in early 2018. The kingdom now imports about 96 percent of its energy at a cost of 2.8 billion dollars annually, or 21 percent of its gross domestic product.
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