In 2010, the Government of Jordan, represented by Jordan Natural Resources Authority (NRA) and Shale Energy Company (also known as JOSECO), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which granted Shale Energy Co. the exclusive right to explore, pilot test, and exploit one billion tons of oil shale in areas in the central part of Jordan (Sultani and Wadi Na’diya Areas).
Shale Energy Company (also known as JOSECO) was granted the exclusive right to explore, pilot test, and exploit one billion tons of oil shale in areas in the central part of Jordan (Sultani and Wadi Na’diya Areas) through the provisions of the signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of Jordan, represented by Jordan Natural Resources Authority (NRA) which took place in 2010.
The Sultani Area
The Sultani area is one of the best-studied areas in Jordan for oil shale and is proven to have high quality oil shale with feasible quantities for commercial exploitation. The deposit is located about 115km south of Amman, 3km off the desert highway, and within close proximity of the railway track.
The Sultani area was first geologically mapped by Heimbach (1962 & 1964) and was also included in the phosphate exploration project carried out by the NRA and United Nations (Sunna’, 1974). The Sultani deposit was also included in the NRA and BGR exploration studies of oil shale (Huffnagel 1980). In 1987, the NRA carried out a further detail-drilling program to delineate the deposit in the area (Project Staff, 1987). The comprehensive exploration programme that Shale Energy carried out in 2011 confirmed the previous studies and emphasized the true potential of the area for oil shale exploitation.
The Wadi Nadi’ya Area
The MoU area of Wadi Na’diya Oil Shale deposit is located in the central part of Jordan, 35km northeast of Al Hasa, and 25km east of Sultani Oil Shale deposit.
The Natural Resources Authority carried out an exploration drilling program in Wadi Na’diya area to investigate the presence of oil shale in this region. The results indicate that the thickness of the oil shale sequence is 45m and the overburden is more than 50m.
Shale Energy Company will carry out detail exploration programs in the near future to evaluate the characteristics of the oil shale deposit in this area and its feasibility to produce shale oil in commercial values.
