The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, said that the petroleum sector has finished up linking 724,000 housing units to natural gas grid throughout the period from July 2019 to January 2020, to bring the total number of linked houses to 10.750 million, according to a press release.

El Molla’s remarks came during a meeting he held with some of the ministry’s senior officials to follow up the executive situation of the national project to deliver natural gas to households and increase its usage as vehicle fuel.

El Molla stated that another 476,000 households will be connected in the frame of the current fiscal year plan which aims at connecting 1.2 million housing units to natural gas grid. He also referred to the ministry’s initiative that allows customers to pay the required fees in installments as the reason behind the current rates.

He declared that 41 areas will be connected to natural gas grid through the second half of fiscal year 2019/2020, increasing the total number of areas connected to natural gas to 86 areas.

The areas and villages that will be connected to natural gas grid in the first half of 2020 include El Hawamdeyya, Arab Abu Saed, El Shobak, and Elminya in Giza, Azabet Elprince, in Alexandria, Shended village in Itay El Baroud , Kafr Ghoniem in El Beheira  as well as Dahshma, Sobeih, El Mahdeya, El Zarzamoun, Al Adwa, AL Shaik Muslimy, Al Qareen, Al Helwat and Al Ibrahimeya in Al Sharqia in addition to Kebeish in Al Gharbia, Dreen in Al Dakahlia and Al Qouseya in Assiut.

On the same sequence, the minister reviewed the trial usage of the prepaid natural gas meters which were successfully used in areas of Asmarat 1,2 and Bashayer El Kher 1,2,3 in Alexandria. He added that 200,000 meters will be supplied during the Q2 of 2020 in cooperation with the ministry of Military Production.

Additionally, the minister reviewed the plans for  converting vehicles to natural gas  which has witnessed the conversion of 25,000 vehicles during the first half of fiscal year of 2019/20 to bring the total number of vehicles running on natural gas to 301,000 served by 192 gas stations and 74 transformation centers.