Egypt Manages Peak Gas Demand
Egyptian power plants' consumption of natural gas increased to a daily 3.75bn ft³ (106mn m³) this week, from 3.4bn ft³/d last week, because of the demand for extra air cooling resulting from high temperatures, Daily News Egypt reported on August 10 citing a source at state gas company Egas.
Egas has agreed with the electricity ministry to provide 3.9bn ft³/d (110.5mn m³/d) at peak this August to run the power plants, the source said, adding that Egas is regasifying 1.2bn ft³/d of LNG at Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, while a pipe from Aqaba in Jordan is running at its maximum of 0.1bn ft³/d.
Local Egyptian gas production has been 4.05bn ft³/d (115mn m³/d) since end-July but much of that is required for household, industrial and vehicle use. The source said that gas supplies to heavy industry would be maintained throughout the summer. The full Daily News Egypt report is here.
FSRU BW Singapore (in green) berthed at Ain Sokhna on Egypt's Red Sea coast (Photo credit: BW Gas)
In June, Egypt began tendering for a third floating LNG import terminal (FSRU) at Ain Sokhna to go alongside its existing two there – the first chartered from Hoegh LNG started up in April 2015, the other from BW Gas began operations six months later, both are under five-year charters to Egas.
In July 2015 Jordan began LNG imports through an FSRU at Aqaba on charter from Golar LNG. Most is used in Jordan but some flows to Egypt.
Meanwhile in other news, Reuters on August 10 said Egypt has approved five offshore Mediterranean exploration licences: with BP, Eni, Total, EDF-owned Edison, and local firm Trident.
Mark Smedley