Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revealed a sudden technical malfunction at a gas field in a “neighboring country” resulted in increased power cuts in Egypt due to a decline in fuel supplies to power plants. The field was out of service for 12 hours but is now back to full operation.
The specific location and company of the affected gas field were left unanswered, stirring speculation that it could be in Israel. Egypt’s imports of Israeli gas saw fluctuations following the Gaza war in October, but reached record levels in the first quarter of 2024.
Gas Imports Surge
During January-March 2024, Egypt imported 2.63 billion cubic meters of Israeli gas, compared to 1.85 billion in the same period of 2023. Imports peaked in March at 933 million cubic meters, a significant increase from the previous year.
This surge in gas imports highlights Egypt’s growing reliance on Israeli gas to meet its energy needs and maintain stability in power supply despite technical challenges in neighboring regions.