Electric plants hit highest usage level on heat wave

CAIRO – 6 July 2017: Electricity plants recorded the highest usage level in the history of natural gas’ usage in Egypt, coinciding the heat wave that happened in the last few days, an official said Thursday.

On Saturday, the fuel usage levels in the electricity plants reached 119 million cubic meters per day (4.2 billion cubic feet per day), representing 82 percent of the domestic production of gas and around 65 percent of consumable gas (the domestically produced in addition to the imported).

The official at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) added that the consumption of the plants registered around 4 billion cubic feet on Friday, up from 3.8 billion at the middle of the previous week, while it ranged between 4 and 4.1 billion cubic feet on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Egypt produces around 5.1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, after the start of the first phase of north Alexandria’s gas fields Taurus and Libra in West Nile Delta project with a total capacity of 700 million cubic feet per day, in addition to the last increase in the production of Norus field.

Preparing for summer months, EGAS started importing 10 shipments per month to meet the increasing local need on natural gas, especially the electricity sector, as the consumption level of gas reached 3.8 billion cubic feet per day since the beginning of the last month, the official noted.

The total current imported volumes of gas ranging between 800 and 900 million cubic feet per day.