Egypt’s EGAS plans to export four LNG cargoes in December

Egypt plans to export four liquefied natural gas cargoes in December 2025, totalling around 550,000 cubic metres, as the state seeks to channel proceeds toward repayment of arrears owed to international oil companies, Al Arabiya Business reported on December 4.

The shipments will be executed on behalf of Egypt’s foreign partners to enable continued development work at deepwater gas fields during the first quarter of 2026. December falls within Egypt’s lower-demand winter period, when LNG export windows typically reopen as domestic electricity consumption declines.

The Ministry of Petroleum aims to settle about $750mn in outstanding dues to IOCs by the end of Q1 2026, with payments divided into two instalments of $400mn–500mn before end-2025 and $250mn–350mn in early 2026.

Total arrears are estimated at $1.7–2bn, accumulated as the state purchased IOC equity gas from domestic concession areas. Officials say reducing arrears is essential to unlocking delayed upstream investment and stabilising medium-term production.

Improved gas-supply coordination and resumed pipeline imports from Israel have strengthened Egypt’s ability to sustain LNG exports. The two countries have developed an increasingly integrated energy relationship, with Egypt relying on inflows from offshore fields such as Leviathan to offset declining domestic output.

Egypt’s LNG facilities remain strategic assets for processing and re-exporting gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe and global markets, a role that expanded following the 2022 surge in LNG demand.

Revenues from LNG exports are also a vital source of hard currency for Egypt’s strained balance of payments, particularly as the country manages ongoing FX shortages and rising external debt service.

In a related development, Egypt has decided to discontinue use of the Energeous Force floating storage and regasification unit stationed at Jordan’s Aqaba port by the end of 2025, Asharq Business reported. The move reflects shifting supply needs and a reduced requirement for LNG imports.