Jordan depends heavily on energy imported from abroad. That is expensive, risky, and leaves the Gulf country vulnerable whenever global energy markets turn volatile. To fix this, the Jordanian government has approved a sweeping 10-year energy strategy, running from 2025 to 2035, with the central goal to produce more energy at home and spend less money buying it from others.
Jordan sits above a gas field called Risha, located in the Middle East country’s eastern desert. Right now, Risha produces a modest amount of natural gas. Under the new plan, that output will be dramatically ramped up, reaching 418 million cubic feet per day by 2029 and nearly doubling again to 812 million cubic feet per day by 2035. Natural gas powers homes, factories, and electricity plants, so more of it means cheaper and more reliable energy for ordinary Jordanians.
A new pipeline will link the Risha field to the Arab Gas Pipeline, a regional network connecting several Middle Eastern countries, with operations expected to begin by 2029. Gas will also reach more homes and businesses in Amman and Zarqa through expanded distribution networks, with industrial demand across the country projected at 173 million cubic feet per day by 2035.
The strategy is not just about fossil fuels. Jordan wants renewables, mainly solar and wind, to make up 40% of its electricity by 2035. This makes sense for a country that receives abundant sunshine almost year-round. New combined-cycle power plants, which generate electricity more efficiently by using both gas turbines and steam, will be built between 2027 and 2030 to keep up with rising demand.
Battery storage systems and pumped-water storage projects will also be deployed to keep the grid stable when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. A significant portion of electricity is currently lost in the process of moving it through power lines, and Jordan wants to cut those transmission losses to just 8% by 2035, meaning more of what is generated will actually reach people’s homes.
The government also wants to produce green hydrogen, a clean fuel made by splitting water using renewable electricity. Commercial production is expected to start by 2030 and scale up to around 500,000 tonnes annually by 2035. Green hydrogen is increasingly seen as a fuel of the future, and Jordan could eventually export it to energy-hungry markets abroad.
On the demand side, time-of-use electricity tariffs will be introduced across all sectors by September 2025, a system that charges consumers more during peak hours to reduce strain on the grid. The transport sector is also included in the plan. Electric vehicles are targeted to account for 60% of all new car sales, with total EVs on Jordanian roads reaching around 500,000. Heavy vehicles like trucks and buses will be encouraged to switch to compressed natural gas as a cleaner alternative to diesel.
Jordan’s plan mirrors regional efforts by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar to balance energy security with cleaner power, but Jordan is pursuing this with far fewer financial resources, making the strategy a genuinely ambitious bet on self-reliance.