In a press release to Egypt Oil&Gas, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company’s (EGAS) Deputy Manager of Planning and Projects, Gamal Hegazy, informed the Minister of Petroleum, Tarek El Molla, that EGAS has completed an extension of the  gas pipeline located west of the Nile and passing below the river to deliver gas to Beni Suef Governorate. This extension will also be used to connect the cities of Maghagha and El Idwa in the Minya Governorate, as well as Biba and Samasta in Beni Suef within 2017/2018.

This comes as a part of the ministry’s plan to pump gas to a total of 26,000 residential customer via the pipeline, by the end of the fiscal year 2017/2018. The first phase of the project will connect 12,500 residential dwellings before the end of the current fiscal year 2016/2017.

The report added that Egypt has pumped natural gas to 700,000 residential units in Upper Egypt. Additionally it explains that the company’s strategy is to deliver gas to 1m unit during 2016/2017 including 219,000 in Upper Egypt. The plan also includes pumping to 21 new cities in Upper Egypt.