Butane production at Egyptian refineries surpasses 2.2 million tons per year, which secures 50% of total butane local consumption, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ First Undersecretary, Mohamed Taher, told Amwal Al Ghad.

The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) imports 2 million barrel of oil per month from Iraq to be distributed over refineries, which increases the volumes of refined petroleum products, including butane.

Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR), Alexandria Refinery, Cairo Refinery, and Assiut Refinery provide the largest amounts of butane produced by the oil and gas sector, which decreases butane imports, Taher pointed out, adding that consumption is stable during Summer months.

In May 2017, Egypt butane imports decreased to 197,600 tons compared to 222,800 tons in May 2016 due to the increase of production and the stable consumption in the past months, reported Amwal Al Ghad.

In addition, the Egyptian Company for Gas Transportation and Delivery (Botagasco) was able to pump 5 million butane cylinders to the local market within the past six months, which boosted its total sales to 40 million cylinders in the first half of 2017, Amwal Al Ghad informed.