Egypt will receive Wednesday the second of five free-of-charge shipments of Qatari liquefied gas, Taher Abdel Rahim, head of the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (EGAS), said Monday in a statement quoted by Anadolu news agency.
The delivery of the five shipments is planned to be completed by 11 September, Abdel Rahim said.
Last week, Qatar’s state news agency, QNA, said that the Gulf kingdom had sent a tanker carrying the first batch agreed to by Egypt.
Tarek al-Bartaqawy, director of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), said the ship was carrying about 3.4 trillion BTUs, or 80.000 tonnes of liquefied gas.
Egypt has suffered chronic butane gas and oil shortages since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak, which persisted through the reign of deposed president Mohamed Morsy.
Egypt, which lacks the financial resources to import energy, needs natural gas and other sources of fuel to supply power stations, 90 percent of which rely on gas for operation, as well as to run several factories.
Earlier this year, Hesham Qandil's government initiated a new system in which gas and petroleum products were distributed through coupons and smart cards in order to confront shortages, combat black market dealings, ration subsidies, and ensure supplies reached the most needy consumers.
The current government of Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawy said it would assess the scheme before deciding whether to proceed with it.
