Egypt has begun preliminary pumping of natural gas to Jordan, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura on Saturday Al Ahram reported
Abu Qura stated that Egypt is currently providing Jordan with "experimental" volumes, adding that officials expect gas supplies to resume to pre-attack levels, around 150 million cubic feet per day, by the end of this week.
Industry experts believe the move will ease pressure on Jordan's power plants, which have been running on diesel and heavy fuel oil reserves since the attack, at a cost of some JD3 million per day.
The Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO), which has control over the 400-kilometre pipeline that serves both Jordan and Israel, confirmed that a technical team has completed repairs on the line and is conducting "experimental" pumping to the Kingdom.
Jordan's National Electric Power Co. has lost 820 million Jordanian dinars (US$1.2 billion) in the first 10 months of 2011 due to halts in natural-gas supplies from Egypt, according to a report in the country's Ad-Dostour newspaper.
On 10 November, two explosions hit the pipeline which carries gas through the Sinai and on to Jordan and Israel. It had already been attacked six times since former president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February.