The consumption of natural gas power stations decreased by about 4bn cubic feet per day (scf/day) compared to 4.3bn scf/day last month, due to lower temperatures, which reduces energy consumption.
A source at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company told Daily News Egypt that the consumption of gas stations decreased by about 300m scf/day as temperatures fell and the winter months approached.
He pointed out that the consumption of power plants from fuel oil reached 3,500 tonnes per day compared to about 5,000 tonnes last month, due to the high efficiency of the stations and a decline in electricity consumption.
The source said that the ministry of electricity obtained the maximum rate of natural gas consumption for the stations during the summer months by about 4.4bn scf/day, in addition to the quantities of fuel agreed upon with the Egyptian Petroleum Corporation.
He explained that power plants decreased their gas consumption during the current year due to the high efficiency of new plants in the production of energy, compared to previous years before the entry of Siemens plant.
Electricity consumption represents 61% of the total consumption of natural gas, while the rest of the gas consuming sectors (industry, houses, automotive and petroleum products) hold 39%.
The source pointed out that it aims to increase Egypt’s production of natural gas to about 7.5bn scf/day during the current fiscal year, compared with the current 7bn scf/day.
He added that the new projects that have been linked to natural gas production such as Zohr, Nooros, North Alexandria, and 9B, have offset the natural decline of gas fields’ development and continue to increase rates of natural gas production.
The ministry of petroleum is intensifying its efforts, in cooperation with foreign partners, to accomplish projects to develop major gas discoveries in the deep sea in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, contributing to an increase of gas production to 8bn scf/day by 2021.
The source pointed out that the rate of consumption of natural gas in the domestic market is growing annually, coinciding with the industrial and urban development plan and an increase in the number of cars operating with natural gas.
It should be noted that the average consumption of the domestic market of gas will rise to about 9bn scf/day by 2020/21, according to the industrial development plan.
