(AFP Photo)
Quantities supplied to the national gas distribution network will be temporarily reduced by 5% from 17 to 27 April, a Monday statement from Ministry of Electricity said.
The supply unit will be suspended to allow for work connecting a new gas field in the Western Desert to the national network in order to increase overall production, the statement added.
The statement came during a meeting between Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker and Minister of Petroleum Sherif Ismail to review the efforts of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) in increasing the production of natural gas.
Both ministries signed an agreement in March to provide alternative fuels to power plants and build natural gas stations which will provide between 80m and 120m cubic feet of gas per day.
Shortages in natural gas supplies to electricity plants have prompted the government to reduce loads on the national grids by cutting off power. Addressing the issue, the cabinet said in April that it would import additional quantities of natural gas, improve the efficiency of transferring fuel and diesel to stations and add more stations to the national grid.
In the Monday statement, EGAS called on Egyptians to ration their electricity consumption during the daily peak period, which is from 6pm to 10pm.
Operating power stations with natural gas instead of diesel saves the country EGP 2.2bn every year, the Ministry of Petroleum said in January.
Egypt’s natural gas production in December 2013 slumped by 11.86%, recording 3,353 tonnes, the Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) said in a recent report.
In the 2012/2013 fiscal year, about 24.1% of total investments in Egypt were directed towards the oil and gas sector, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Planning in October.
