Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi toured the SUMED and Sonker ports in Ain Sokhna, accompanied by senior officials from the petroleum sector. The visit included inspections of preparations to receive and dock floating regasification vessels carrying imported liquefied natural gas, as well as gas pipeline projects connecting these vessels to the national gas network.
Badawi first inspected the terminal where the Høegh Gallion Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) is currently docked to ensure work progress and operations of unloading LNG from the ship, followed by its conversion into a gaseous state in order to pump it to the national gas network.
Furthermore, the Minister inspected a second terminal in the SUMED port for receiving another regasification ship, which was developed in September 2024.
According to the ministry’s statement on Monday, the project is currently undergoing experimental testing operations in preparation for the unit’s arrival.
Regarding the Sonker Port, Minister Badawi followed up on the horizontal drilling operations for the gas pipeline extensions linking the FSRU to the national network. He also inspected the construction of a 36-inch, 17-kilometer LNG import pipeline to support the regasification unit
It is worth noting that the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO) has led the project’s technical studies, material procurement, and project management, while Petrojet executed the construction work.
To meet the growing demand for energy, especially during the summer months, Egypt has been involved in discussions with Germany, Turkey, and Cyprus to lease a handful of FSRUs to secure Egypt’s need for natural gas. This aims to bridge the local gap between production and consumption, estimated at more than 1.5 billion cubic feet per day on average.
