The spokesperson for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Hamdi Abdel Aziz, announced recent developments regarding the import of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to bolster Egypt’s electricity grid and prevent any recurrence of load shedding.
In a phone-in interview with journalist Ahmed Moussa on the ‘On My Responsibility’ program, Abdel Aziz revealed that Egypt is expecting new LNG shipments.
The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company has increased its contracted LNG shipments from 21 to 32 cargoes.
The petroleum spokesperson further elaborated, “The imported LNG is being converted into natural gas and injected into Egypt’s national gas network for electricity generation. A dedicated vessel stationed in Sharm El-Sheikh is continuously converting the LNG into natural gas before it is fed into the national grid.”
When queried about the possibility of future power outages, the petroleum spokesperson responded, “I cannot confirm or deny such a scenario as it is contingent upon technical factors. At present, we are not experiencing any shortages in the gas or fuel oil required for electricity generation.”
Hamdi Abdel Aziz further elaborated that ongoing discussions with Cyprus are centered around natural gas.
A preexisting agreement outlines the construction of a pipeline to Port Said for the purpose of transporting gas to liquefaction plants for either export or domestic consumption. Preparations are underway to capitalize on these new initiatives in the near future.
The petroleum spokesperson emphasized, “The Egyptian state is committed to fulfilling its financial obligations to foreign companies operating within the petroleum sector, in accordance with the directives of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
