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 Dairut City in Assiut witnessed the first natural gas flame upon pumping for the first time in the city. The Egyptian government had established the infrastructure to pump gas to Dairut as a part of its strategy to deliver gas to 21 cities in Upper Egypt to decrease the dependency on butane.

The report added that the Egyptian oil and gas sector is aiming to deliver natural gas to 21,500 residential units in Dairut within the current fiscal year 2016/2017. In addition, it plans to pump gas to 18,000 units in El Qusiya City in Asiut, along with 5000 units in Deir Mawas in Al Minya.

In related news, Egypt Oil&Gas reported 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 and 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.