埃及應對天然氣需求高峰

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.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.

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. 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.