Egypt Begins Receiving LNG Shipments to End Power Cuts

Egypt received the first two cargos of natural gas out of 21 contracted shipments as part of an emergency strategy to cease ongoing power outages, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Spokesperson, Hamdy Abdel-Aziz, announced during a live television interview on 1 July.

Abdel-Aziz, who announced the news during the TV program A’la Mas’oulety (My Responsibility) with talk show host Ahmed Moussa, explained that a liquefied natural gas shipment arrived at the Ain Sokhna port.

Another vessel is currently offloading natural gas onto a gasification ship, which will then be liquefied and integrated into the national gas network.

The remaining shipments are expected to arrive throughout the summer season.

“We will have sufficient quantities of gas to avoid cutting off electricity during the summer,” Abdel-Aziz emphasized, reiterating the government’s plan to end power cuts by the third week of July.

Egypt’s ongoing power blackouts, beginning in October 2023, drew outrage and concerns from citizens, including media personalities. Blackouts also raised alarms over citizens’ safety amid recent deaths in southern governorates, which typically experience higher temperatures.

The Cabinet blamed ongoing heatwaves as the cause for extended power cuts, while President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi also cited during a national conference price subsidies on electricity as a reason for government-mandated blackouts.

To address the issue, the government has allocated USD 1.18 billion (EGP 57.09 billion) to purchase necessary energy products, along with reducing gas supplies to fertilizer companies and mandating earlier closing times for commercial stores.

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