Egypt's Gas Crisis

Fact Egypt's Gas Crisis

The eminent shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders is expected to end in three days, according to Minister of Supply and Domestic Trade Khaled Hanafy Monday. Hanafy added that the government has also pumped more than the norm in butane gas supplies. In an interview with Dream satellite channel, Hanafy also said that the additional quantities of natural gas are meant to compensate the recent supply shortfalls. He pointed out that the LPG cylinders shipments were suspended for almost 11 days due to bad weather conditions. Egypt recently saw a renewed butane cylinders crisis, with overcrowded queues in front of warehouses a common scene. Media reports said the situation was exacerbated in Upper Egypt and rural areas, where the price of a cylinder reached EGP 50 due to the exploitation of the black market. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has said that the current butane gas shortage crisis in Egypt was due to low temperatures and inclement weather, which delayed the butane shipments. Around 50 % of the country’s butane gas is shipped from Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Libya.

Women carry gas cylinders to fill them at a distribution point in Cairo January 19, 2015. Egypt is going through its worst energy crisis in decades and is seeking fresh sources of natural gas, which powers most of its homes and factories. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)