JOSCO's Journey

Our aspired presence in Jordan is long-term with the commencement of the initial Appraisal Phase, forming the second step towards a full-scale commercial project. Each project period is dependent on the success of the previous period  to answer questions vital to the success of a full-scale project. At the end of each period, JOSCO will evaluate the findings to decide whether to continue to the next period. The Government must approve the start of each project period before JOSCO commences work in such a period. 

JOSCO entered the initial Appraisal Phase on 16 May 2013 as per the Oil Shale Concession Agreement (OSCA). All data gathered from the initial Assessment Phase, 3 years of operation, are being shared with the Government. In this period, JOSCO will zoom into interest areas to conduct further appraisal operations and the Jordan Field Experiment (JFE). The JFE is a small scale testing facility that will be constructed to test how oil shale in Jordan reacts to Shell’s In-situ Conversion Process (ICP) technology.

As per the OSCA, the Initial Appraisal Phase is expected to end by Mid-2015, with a possible extension of one year. Following the Appraisal period, if successful, JOSCO is expected to enter the next phase (Pilot Phase), which will include a large scale pilot project utilizing Shell’s ICP technology. All phases must be completed before the final decision is taken to proceed with a commercial project. If successful, JOSCO's vision is to develop and produce from, those oil shale resources under the country’s surface.


JOSCO's Journey

Long-term success depends on the success of a number of consecutive defined project periods potentially leading to a commercial project in future.

1. ASSESSMENT Is there rich oil shale in Jordan? Where is it? How thick is the layer? How deep is it?
2. APPRAISAL What's the moisture content of the oil shale? Will we harm any aquifers if we exploit it? Are there any other minerals contained in the oil shale layer? Are the layers above and below it suitable for production? Will they be stable enough for production?
Will the ICP technology work on the oil shale layer we found? Do current market conditions support a commercial project? Where will we get our feedstock from?
Can we technically build a full scale commercial project? How much would viagra pas cher it cost? How long would it take?
5. FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION? Based on results from previous periods: Is a commercial project viable?
6. CONSTRUCT The construction of large oil and gas projects is usually lengthy and technically complex. Safety is our highest priority in all our operations.
7. HEAT In situ Conversion Process does not involve surface mining. Instead, it inserts heaters underground to slowly heat the oil shale to more than 300ºC over a 3 to 4 year period to convert kerogen in the shale into high quality transportation fuels.
8. PRODUCE If successful, JOSCO's operations would significantly contribute towards the development of a domestic supply of energy in Jordan.