Energy Minister: China is an important partner in the modernization of Jordan's energy sector

The minister, who was part of the delegation accompanying King Abdullah II during his recent visit to China, noted that the visit allowed a close look at China's tremendous technological leaps in innovation and mining.

He emphasized that the delegation observed clear Chinese interest in enhancing cooperation with Jordan, moving beyond traditional trade and investment frameworks towards long-term strategic partnerships based on technology transfer, experience exchange, and developing quality projects that add value to both countries.

Regarding the energy sector, he considered the signing of a comprehensive memorandum of understanding with China's National Energy Administration as a pivotal step towards more practical bilateral relations, opening the door to exploring opportunities for modernizing the national electrical grid, developing energy storage systems, and renewable energy projects, green hydrogen and ammonia, and building an integrated system for clean industries.

He added that this complements Jordanian-Chinese cooperation in environmental and climate change fields, aligning with the two friendly countries' directions towards more sustainable and efficient economies in resource use and emission reduction. Regarding the role of Chinese companies in supporting Jordan's plans to modernize the energy sector, the minister said that cooperation with Chinese companies allows Jordan to benefit from the Chinese experience in developing more intelligent and flexible electrical networks, capable of efficiently handling the growing growth in renewable energy sources, alongside introducing advanced solutions for electricity storage and enhancing grid stability and reliability.

The minister, who praised the contribution of Chinese companies in increasing local energy sources, added that Jordan is keen to move beyond project implementation to build genuine partnerships based on knowledge transfer, developing Jordanian competencies, and localizing technology, so that Jordan is a partner in developing and operating these systems, not just a beneficiary.

He said that Jordan has a wide range of opportunities that can form a field for successful partnerships with Chinese companies, and is keen that Chinese investments in Jordan are long-term, contribute to building local value chains, transfer technology and expertise, provide job opportunities, and enhance the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy.

He pointed out that one of the areas that can be built upon is the establishment of research centers and joint cooperation programs in the fields of artificial intelligence, data management, smart grids, and energy storage, alongside developing training and qualification programs for Jordanian engineers and technicians in cooperation with specialized Chinese institutions and companies.

He added that opportunities can also be explored for establishing regional industries and centers in Jordan that serve regional markets, and Jordan attaches special importance to localizing knowledge and technology, so that cooperation is not limited to importing equipment and solutions, but extends to developing national capabilities capable of operation, maintenance, development, and innovation.

He explained that the energy sector is one of the most important fields through which the Jordanian-Chinese strategic partnership can be translated into tangible economic and developmental results, noting that cooperation with China can contribute to attracting qualitative investments to the Kingdom, developing new projects, providing job opportunities, and enhancing industries and services related to energy and mining, thereby increasing local value addition and enhancing the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy.

Regarding the field of energy security, the minister said that developing local energy sources, expanding renewable energy, introducing storage systems, and modernizing the electrical grid, alongside investing in the Kingdom's available natural and mineral resources, are all factors that contribute to enhancing the energy system's resilience and reducing the economy's vulnerability to external fluctuations.

He added that leveraging Chinese expertise and technology can help improve energy use efficiency, reduce waste, and improve network management, positively impacting vital sectors such as water, industry, and transportation.

He said that from this perspective, Jordanian-Chinese cooperation in energy is not limited to securing the Kingdom's energy needs, but can form a lever for economic development, a platform for developing new industries, and an opportunity to enhance Jordan's role as a regional center for green energy and related services and technology.

At the end of the interview, the minister expressed his hope that the coming phase will be a natural extension of the momentum witnessed by Jordanian-Chinese relations, pushing them towards a deeper economic and investment partnership, with the energy and mineral resources sector being the most prominent areas of joint cooperation.

He also expressed his confidence that the Jordanian-Chinese partnership in energy can be a model for cooperation based on investment, technology transfer, capacity building, and achieving shared value addition, serving the aspirations of both countries and laying the foundation for a new and more ambitious phase in Jordanian-Chinese relations.