Jordan’s oil bill rises 73 percent

Jordan’s bill of crude oil and oil derivatives rose by 73 percent in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010 driven by a hike in international levels and the Kingdom’s increasing dependence on diesel and heavy fuel to generate electricity, according to the Department of Statistics. The value of Jordan’s imports of oil derivatives and electricity stood at JD1.792 billion until the end of June this year compared to JD1.032 billion in the same period of 2010. According to the statistics issued on Tuesday, the Kingdom’s imports of crude oil reached JD976 million compared to JD620 million. Imports of diesel rose by 142 percent reaching JD308 million compared to JD127 million in the same period of last year. The figures showed a rise of 650 percent in the Kingdom’s imports of electric energy reaching JD104.6 million at the end of June compared to JD13.8 million in the same period of 2010.