Egypt halts gas exports via Idku plant to secure domestic supply amid Israeli cutoff

The Egyptian government decided to temporarily suspend gas exports through the Idku terminal to ensure the security of the domestic market following disruptions to gas supplies from Israel, Asharq Business reported on March 2, citing a government official. 

According to the statement, Egypt has halted the daily delivery of approximately 350mn cubic feet (mmcf) of gas per day, approximately 9.9mn cubic metres per day (mcm) to energy majors Shell (LSE/NYSE: SHEL) and Petronas, with the last shipment leaving the facility in late February. 

The Idku LNG plant, located east of Alexandria, has a total export capacity of around 7.2mn tonnes per year, equivalent to roughly 10bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually, and is a key outlet for Egyptian and, previously, Israeli offshore gas supplies.

The strategic two-train liquefaction facility processes natural gas into liquid form for global transport via specialised tankers. The plant serves as a regional energy hub, exporting shipments to markets like Turkey, Italy, and Canada to fulfil contracts with partners such as Shell and Petronas.

The government official further revealed that Israel ceased gas shipments to Egypt indefinitely on February 28, in response to Israeli airstrikes in Iran. The suspended supply amounts to around 1.1bn cubic feet of gas daily, sourced from the Tamar and Leviathan fields in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The official added that Egypt is currently working to reschedule its liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments to compensate for the reduction in Israeli supplies and ensure domestic needs are met.

Israel's decision to halt gas flows is based on the force majeure clause in the gas supply agreements between the two countries.

In December 2025, Egypt and Israel approved a landmark $35bn deal to supply 130bn cubic metres of natural gas over 15 years, but the deal currently faces severe disruption due to the recent shutdown of the Leviathan field amid regional conflict.

Earlier, the Egyptian government announced it had implemented precautionary measures to secure domestic energy supplies. The petroleum ministry said it is closely monitoring the military tensions and highlighted its diversified supply sources.

During 2025, Egypt successfully secured additional long-term LNG contracts and integrated floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) to handle increased imports. Furthermore, the ministry said it maintains secure strategic stocks of petrol, diesel, and LPG through increased domestic refining and optimised storage networks.