Egypt is pressuring the State of Israel to increase its exports of natural gas, according to a report by the Globes business news site.
Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamal pressured Israeli National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi to approve an increase in the energy exports during a recent meeting between the two, according to the report.
Cairo’s interest in Israeli gas is two-fold: first, Egypt processes Israeli gas into LNG (liquified natural gas) and then exports it to Europe (where it hopes to increase its sales) and second, for its own domestic use.
Israel exported about five (4.62) billion cubic meters (BCM) to Egypt last year from the mammoth Leviathan gas reserve. The gas was transferred through the EMG pipeline.
Leviathian’s maximum annual export production totalled 12 BCM in 2022. According to the report, Israeli gas exports to Egypt could grow to 8 BCM by the end of this year.
