• 07:20
  • Tuesday ,24 March 2015
العربية

Egypt alters gas price in deal with German energy giant - ministry

By Aswat Masriya

Home News

00:03

Tuesday ,24 March 2015

Egypt alters gas price in deal with German energy giant - ministry
Egypt's petroleum minister signed an agreement to increase both prices and gas production levels in a deal Egypt previously signed with German energy firm RWE Dea, Egypt's Petroleum Ministry said.   
 
The German company is currently involved in an onshore gas development project in Desouk city in the Nile Delta. 
 
As per today's alterations, Egypt will be buying gas for $3.5 for every million British thermal units, instead of $2.5, the ministry said in a statement. 
 
Minister Sherif Ismail said production will initially rise from 145 million cubic feet (mcf) daily to 210 mcf every day by the summer of 2015. 
 
Production in the second phase will also rise from 210 to 300 mcf daily before the summer of 2016, the minister added. 
 
RWE Dea produced first gas from the Desouk project in September 2013.
 
RWE Dea is the operator of the project, with the state's Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) as its state partner. 
 
The German giant alluded to a potential production increase last December, saying, "for 2015, the company expects further production increases from Desouk up to the capacity of approximately 200 million standard cubic feet gas per day." 
 
Egypt has been facing an energy crisis for years, with power outages surging in the summer.
 
Egyptian authorities have often owed the power crisis to a larger fuel crisis and have been taking measures in recent months to diversify sources of energy.