Egypt Energy

The upstream energy sector in Egypt is a tale of two resources: oil exploration and production is proceeding as planned, but the country’s leadership has yet to find the right mix of factors to leverage its natural gas deposits, which are much larger. A growing population and heavily subsidised products have resulted in fast-rising domestic...

In the summer of 2012 the pressure on Egypt’s downstream oil sector was increasing, due to short-term concerns linked to the country’s political instability. Some types of fuel were in short supply, and sector reform was widely considered one of the most pressing priorities for the government.

A large and rising population presents Egypt’s government with the challenge of keeping up the current level of basic services while meeting the demands of the growth to come. In the electricity sector, that means remaining in expansion mode for decades to come. However, the growth cannot follow the path it has in the past, when Egypt used natural...

For more than 40 years now, Egypt has been pumping natural gas, with its first discoveries coming in the still-rich Delta region, but over the past 15 years, the country’s prominence as a major producer has risen significantly. Gas reserves were equivalent to more than 77trn cu feet (tcf) by the middle of 2011, an increase of about 50% from the...

That plans for Egypt’s upstream energy sector are proceeding, despite recent upheaval and political uncertainty, is testament to its importance to the national economy. Whereas many government departments declined to initiate new projects or make important decisions during the interregnum period, the Ministry of Petroleum (MoP) and corresponding...

The Arish-Ashkelon pipeline from Egypt to Israel is, perhaps apart from domestic subsidies, the most controversial element of the country’s energy sector, with many Egyptians angry about selling a precious resource to a country whose policies they oppose.