Production of natural gas should rise to 5.342 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) during fiscal year (FY) 2017/2018, according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Amwal Al Ghad reports.

The ministry predicts that natural gas production will reach 6.940 bcf/d in FY 2018/2019, allowing Egypt to achieve a surplus of natural gas.

Consumption will also rise, according to the ministry, but at a slower pace. In FY 2018/2019, the ministry predicts that consumption will reach 6.384 bcf/d, leaving a surplus of  approximately 556 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d).

The ministry’s latest production estimates were submitted to the parliamentary committee on energy.

Officials at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) had previously estimated that Egypt’s natural gas production would reach 6.5 bcf/d by the end of FY 2017/2018, Amwal Al Ghad reported earlier this month.

In August, Egypt produced 2.658 million tons of natural gas, a 26.56% year-on-year increase from 2015, according to statistics released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).