During regional crises and disruptions in global energy markets, the importance of national institutions is measured not only by the scale of their operations and profits, but also by their ability to protect the national economy, ensure the continued flow of strategic commodities, and meet the needs of citizens and productive sectors under the most challenging circumstances.
اضافة اعلان
From this perspective, the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company’s role deserves closer attention as an example of how publicly listed companies can strengthen the Kingdom’s economic and national security. Its ability to secure energy supplies and maintain continuity of supply remains a key factor in assessing its impact on the economy.
The company’s role has gone beyond the traditional functions of businesses operating in the energy sector. It has become one of the main pillars of the system for securing supplies of petroleum products and gas. The scale of this responsibility is reflected in its production of 1,685,439 tonnes of petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas in 2025, particularly amid geopolitical tensions in the region and the risks they pose to trade flows, supply chains, oil prices, and shipping and insurance costs.
The company’s measures to strengthen reserves and provide additional safety margins are also significant. It imported two crude oil tankers carrying approximately two million barrels, alongside a storage system with a capacity of nearly 900,000 tonnes distributed between Zarqa and Aqaba. This capacity illustrates the scale of the operational infrastructure supporting supply management.
The picture extends beyond crude oil. The company’s liquefied petroleum gas reserves are sufficient for approximately two months, while its gas storage capacity stands at 28,000 tonnes. Its storage capacity for various petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel and kerosene, totals around 312,000 tonnes across Zarqa and Aqaba. These figures, while distinguishing available storage capacity from the quantities actually held in reserve, highlight the importance of having infrastructure capable of accommodating diverse needs and reducing the risk of fuel shortages in vital sectors when supplies are disrupted or demand rises unexpectedly.
More importantly, in strengthening supply security, the company is working to expand the Kingdom’s available options and maintain multiple supply relationships. This enhances the flexibility of supplies and reduces the risks associated with relying on a single channel that could be affected by regional developments.
The value of these measures lies not only in the figures themselves but also in their timing. Increasing reserves under normal conditions may appear to be a routine operational measure, but doing so when prices and transportation and insurance costs are rising presents a major financial and logistical challenge. The company’s average crude oil purchase cost rose to $93.33 per barrel in the first half of 2026, compared with $73.53 during the same period in 2025, an increase of approximately 26.9%. This raises the financing required to purchase the same quantities and makes the management of procurement, transportation, storage and liquidity part of the responsibility for securing energy supplies.
Accordingly, the company’s performance should not be assessed solely through the lens of short-term commercial calculations. The economic value of preparedness for the national economy must also be taken into account. In 2025, the refinery’s marketing subsidiary imported 31,684 tonnes of fuel oil to meet the needs of the National Electric Power Company in anticipation of potential natural gas supply disruptions.
These quantities serve an economic purpose that extends beyond their purchase price. They provide an alternative fuel for power generation plants, protecting industry, transport and services from the consequences of energy disruptions. Adequate reserves also give the relevant authorities more time to respond to crises and reduce the likelihood of having to make emergency purchases under unfavourable conditions.
Alongside measures to strengthen reserves, expansion projects to increase storage capacity in Aqaba and Zarqa are also important. Projects under implementation in 2026 include the construction of five liquefied petroleum gas storage facilities in Zarqa, with a combined capacity of 10,000 tonnes and an estimated cost of JOD 33 million, as well as two facilities in Aqaba with a combined capacity of 4,000 tonnes and a cost of JOD 15 million.
Together, the two projects would add 14,000 tonnes of storage capacity at an estimated total cost of JOD 48 million upon completion. These are long-term investments in the Kingdom’s ability to build larger reserves, improve its flexibility in receiving, storing and distributing shipments, and provide more options for responding to changing demand and supply disruptions.
The most important lesson from the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company’s work is that economic security begins with preparation before a crisis occurs, rather than with efforts to manage its consequences after it has begun. Strategic reserves serve as an insurance policy for the national economy, whose value becomes clear when supply routes are disrupted or crises intensify.
Ultimately, the company’s role demonstrates that the importance of major national institutions is measured not only by the direct services they provide, but also by the protection they offer the economy and the stability they help maintain in society under exceptional circumstances.
The two gas storage projects, with their estimated combined cost of JOD 48 million, illustrate investments that serve this protective purpose. Economic policy should support this direction and ensure its financial and operational sustainability by facilitating the regular settlement of outstanding payments, creating suitable financing conditions for expansion, and maintaining operational efficiency.
Energy security is no longer a narrowly defined sectoral issue; it has become an integral part of national security and the country’s capacity to withstand regional and global crises.
