Egypt permits private sector to import natural gas

TCP : Egypt will permit its private sector to import natural gas or liquefied natural gas (LNG) and to use the state’s national gas network in its transfer and marketing, Reuters reported Thursday.

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) along with The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) approved the decision in exchange to a tariff for transferring the gas through its infrastructure, EGAS head Khaled Abdel Badie told Reuters by phone.

EGAS, YOUM7

EGAS, YOUM7

“It is a step that could encourage private investment in the energy sector while easing energy shortages,” he said.

The decision came after Egypt’s Oil Minister Sherif Ismail asked EGAS and EGPC to prepare the required regulations that allow private sector to import gas, till the creation of a regulatory body.

“EGAS had hired a technical consultant from the European Union to help form the regulations,” Badie added.

In Feb., EGAS announced that 74 shipments of natural gas that will power two years worth of electricity in Egypt will arrive in April.

In March, State-owned EGAS signed a five-year deal with Russian company Gazprom to import a total of 35 LNG shipments.

In light of the state’s global tender to procure energy for running power plants, Egypt agreed to import 33 LNG shipments from Trafigura, seven from the British Noble Clean Fuels, six from Algerian state-owned energy company Sonatrach and nine from the Swiss-based Vitol, to be delivered in 2015 and 2016.

In March 2014, EGAS announced finalizing the procedures of gas importation and finding solutions for issues related to the import process. The sector is reportedly looking to raise oil and gas production after it dropped to 147.2 million cubic meters per day in 2014, compared to 152.9 million cubic meters per day in November 2013

EGAS aims to increase its gas production, and add new fields on its production map, as the country, which was once an energy exporter has turned to a net importer due to a remarkable slip in oil and gas production coupled with a soaring demand.

The Egyptian market currently suffers from a significant shortage of diesel fuel, particularly given the economic strain from the rise in global fuel prices and the lack of financial resources required for import. Each ton of fuel carries a government subsidy of 3,000 EGP ($ 447,) a heavy burden on the state budget.

The Cairo Post

Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2015/05/21/egypt-permits-private-sector-to-import-natural-gas/

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