AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The official Petra news agency says Jordan and Royal Dutch Shell PLC will sign a deal Sunday to explore for oil in the country’s extensive oil shale deposits.

Natural Resources Authority director Maher Hijazin told the Jordanian news agency late Wednesday that Shell will spend $540 million in the project’s initial exploration, assessment and design before commercial operation
Hijazin says the concession agreement will be concluded on the sidelines of the Mideast World Economic Forum this weekend at the Dead Sea.
Jordan, which sits atop an estimated 40 billion tons of oil shale deposits, imports 95 percent of its energy needs.