The external link you provided only aims to highlight that oil shale remains an important part of the Jordanian national energy mix plan, which also includes renewable and nuclear energy.

According the the following article:

http://www.jordanembassyus.org/new/newsarchive/2011/11212011005.htm

Jordan’s first oil shale powered plant will start producing electricity by 2016.

Here is a link to the press release issued by King Abdullah II’s office regarding Qatraneh. It says the plant is a gas/oil plant and it references oil shale…

http://www.kingabdullah.jo/index.php/en_US/news/view/id/9884/videoDisplay/1.html

Because of how the press release is structured, it seems like oil shale is part of this plant’s mix. Are you an employee of Qatraneh? How can I clarify this? Because if I’ve made a mistake then I need to acknowledge it immediately.

Enough sun hits the planet in one hour to provide enough energy for a year. If the will were there, solar would have greater priority as it should. As it stands, only 10% of the energy mix will be renewable by 2020, meanwhile climate change has reached dangerous levels.

Oil Shale development is another constituent of Jordan’s energy Strategy. It is true that Oil Shale has substantial environmental impacts, however, looking at what we have we are really left with little options. For the record, oil shale development projects in Jordan pass through a long process for environmental clearance. Environmental and social impact assessment is one major prerequisite by the Jordanian Government and is performed according to stringent environmental guidelines and international best practice.

Last but not least, in parallel, Jordan is also working on renewable energy as a conjunctive source of energy.

The bottom line here is…energy safety is THE major issue in this part of the world. Hopefully we can capetalise on our resources while protecting the environment.