(Ecofin Agency) - Four companies have been granted tenders to supply the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) with 11 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipments between June and August.The companies are: Trafigura, Royal Dutch Shell, Rosneft and PetroChina.

Trafigura is to supply five LNG shipments, Shell will supply three, Rosneft two while PetroChina will supply just one.

EGAS in May, issued a tender for a third Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) to meet domestic demand as the three Siemens power plants in the country will soon begin operation, Energy Egypt reports.The deficit between supply and demand in the natural gas market in Egypt has reached about 700m cubic feet per day and is expected to increase to 1.77Bcf/d during the 2017/2018 financial year.

Once a net energy exporter, Egypt started importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2015 and has hired two FSRUs to assist in preventing the lack of electricity caused by a decline in energy production and rising consumption.

Anita Fatunji