Egypt’s Gas Balancing Act As Power Demand Eats Into Growing Supply

Egypt’s gas output has averaged 5.5bn cfd since December when Eni’s 24tcf Zohr field came online, up 40% from the 12-year low of 3.9bn cfd plumbed just 18 months earlier. Output is set to hit 6bn cfd by mid-2018 as Zohr and BP’s West Nile Delta project ramp up output (MEES, 16 February).

Zohr is currently producing at around 400mn cfd. Eni exploration chief Luca Bertelli says he expects output to hit 1.7-1.9bn cfd by the end of this year. While further expansion of Zohr and other recent developments are expected to raise Egypt’s gas production above 7bn cfd by 2020, Egypt’s rising gas consumption suggests output by that time will not be far ahead of demand. (CONTINUED - 932 WORDS)