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 (the Sultani area) 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.
