Egyptian gas supplies to East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG) and its Israeli clients were expected to resume later this month following delays in pipeline repair work, said Ampal-American Israel Corp.

Ampal, a holding company, has a 12.5 percent interest in EMG.

The Egyptian National Gas Co told EMG the delay in restoring natural gas supplies was to due to a hold-up in repair work on a pipeline from Egypt to Jordan belonging to GASCO, the Egyptian gas transport company, after an explosion and subsequent fire on Feb. 5 in a metering station.

At the time, GASCO was expecting repair work to conclude and gas supply to resume on Feb. 17.
Egyptian state television and local government officials reported saboteurs blew up a pipeline that runs through Egypt’s North Sinai, disrupting flows to Israel and Jordan.

Neither EMG’s site nor its pipeline were damaged as the affected GASCO station is not a part of the EMG pipeline system and is located 30 kilometers from the EMG site.

(Source: Reuters)