Egypt is optimistic about new gas discoveries in the Mediterranean - THE ECONOMIST

Jul 5th 2018| CAIRO

Some think the new fields could turn Egypt into an energy hub

FIVE years ago the country that hopes to become a Mediterranean energy hub couldn’t even keep the lights on. When Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi took power in a coup in July 2013, Egypt was plagued by blackouts. Factories shut down. Surgeons operated by torchlight.

Egypt’s energy supply is still spotty. But on June 27th newspapers trumpeted the discovery of an enormous natural-gas field, called Noor, off the coast of North Sinai (see map). They billed it as the largest in the region. That title is already held by Egypt’s massive Zohr field, discovered in 2015, which is expected to change the country from a net importer to a net exporter of gas by next year.

Israel has a gas conundrum - THE ECONOMIST

Aug 17th 2017| CAIRO

Egypt could help Israel get rid of its excess gas

LONG a resource-poor country, Israel now has more natural gas than it knows how to use. Even by conservative estimates, the fields discovered off its Mediterranean coast since 2009 hold enough energy to meet domestic needs for 40 years. The government hopes to earn a windfall by selling the excess abroad; the owners of Leviathan, the largest field, have earmarked 9bn cubic meters (bcm) for export each year. Jordan has already signed a deal to buy some. Israel wants to send the rest farther afield—offering it to Europe as an alternative to Russian supplies. But geography and politics make that difficult.