Cairo - Mubasher: Egypt is expected to begin receiving Israeli gas imports in March 2019 if the undersea pipeline of East Mediterranean Gas Company (EMG) is found to be in good condition, the chief executive officer of East Gas Co said.
In the first quarter of 2019, gas supplies would start at 100 million standard cubic feet (scf) of gas per day, and gradually hike to a peak of 700 million scf a day, Mohammed Shoeib told Bloomberg News.
“We aim to reach the pipeline’s full capacity or maximum flow rate within three years,” he added.
In September, EMG, the US’ Noble Energy Inc. and Israel’s Delek Drilling LP signed a deal to buy a 39% stake in Eastern Mediterranean Gas Co at a total value of $518 million.
Upon this agreement, the buyers will enjoy exclusive rights to lease and operate the subsea gas pipeline owned by EMG, which links southern Israel to the Sinai Peninsula.
The partners are to start testing the pipeline connecting soon ahead of modifying facilities to reverse the flow, Shoeib said.
The procedures were projected to take three to four months, he added, noting that the deal will close once the gas has been flowing for 30 days.
It is worth noing that East Gas Co. owns and operates a separate pipeline through Jordan. Shoeib said that link could be used as a backup in case of problems with the EMG infrastructure or to pump additional quantities if needed, according to Bloomberg.
