K&P Receives Certificate from Energy Charter Secretariat
On 14 October 2019, Khalifeh & Partners’ Khaldoun Nazer (Partner) received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Energy Charter Secretariat, recognizing the firm’s contribution to the 2019 Energy Investment Risk Assessment (EIRA). Notably, Khaldoun Nazer, Siwar Saket (Associate), and Dana Mubaidien (Associate) have been mentioned as individual contributors in Jordan. K&P was contacted by the Secretariat early last year to provide advice and information about the energy sector in Jordan for its flagship publication, EIRA, which would assess specific policy, regulatory, and legal risks in the energy sectors of various countries, including Jordan. EIRA 2019 was successfully completed and launched on 30 September 2019, after development under the Albanian Chairmanship of the Energy Charter Conference. The International Energy Charter has further launched a website to outline EIRA, offering up-to-date information on the regulatory frameworks of the participating countries, including Jordan.
Within the last year, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has ratified and entered into force the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).The Jordanian Parliament ratified the Treaty in April 2018, making the country the 51st Contracting Party of the ECT. Additionally, on 11 December 2018, Jordan joined the 1994 Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects (PEEREA) which requires participating states to formulate clear policy aims for improving energy efficiency and reducing the energy cycle’s negative environmental impact.
The Secretariat believes that the ECT will enhance confidence in the investment climate in the energy sector in Jordan and attract foreign investments for infrastructure projects in this field, in addition to strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a transit country for energy projects, where transit across its borders is secure and stable and facilitating technical assistance, especially oil and gas pipelines and electricity interconnection projects.