MMisr Fertilizers Production Company (MOPCO) and Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemical Industries Co have gradually resumed operations of their plants following a temporary shutdown in recent days on the back of the government suspending the natural gas supplies to energy-intensive industries, according to disclosures sent by the two companies to the Egyptian Stock Exchange

The government has activated an emergency plan to prioritize natural gas allocations a few hours after the beginning of the war. This involved halting natural gas supplies to some factories and increasing diesel consumption by power plants to the maximum level.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced on Thursday the resumption of natural gas supply at normal levels to all industrial sectors in the local market, following Minister Karim Badawi’s visit to the main control center of the national natural gas network operated by the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO) in New Cairo. During the visit, he oversaw the regulation of gas flow and the safeguarding of domestic supply across both the industrial and electricity sectors.s.

He affirmed the collective efforts with relevant ministries to monitor the recent crisis efficiently and adapt to sudden challenges while maintaining gas supply stability for local consumption.

The Ministry of Petroleum has been intensifying its efforts in the past period to increase drilling and exploration activities of oil and gas fields to reverse the local production decline. It is also accelerating efforts to connect three regasification units at Ain Sokhna ports and pump imported liquefied natural gas cargos into the national grid.

Egypt has recently added 60 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of natural gas from the Zohr-6 well offshore the Mediterranean Sea via the Italian offshore drilling rig Saipem 1000.

According to the Ministry’s statement on Friday, the rig proceeded to the next planned tasks and began drilling operations at the Zohr-13 well, which engineering studies suggest will add 55 mmcf/d of natural gas.

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) has awarded six new oil and gas exploration blocks, four offshore in the Mediterranean and two onshore in the Nile Delta and North Sinai, to international companies. The blocks, worth about $245 million, are part of Egypt’s 2024 international bid round via the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG).