Natural gas for households just got pricer: The Madbouly government has hiked the prices of natural gas for households by EGP 0.40-1 per cubic meter as part of wider plans to phase out fuel subsidies, according to local media outlets Al Mal and Masrawy.

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Natural gas consumers will now pay:

  • EGP 3 per cbm for up to 30 cbm of consumption, up from EGP 2.60/cbm;
  • EGP 4 per cbm for up to 60 cbm of consumption, up from EGP 3.35/cbm;
  • EGP 5 per cbm for anything over 60 cbm, up from EGP 4/cbm.

The when: The decision was issued in September and the new prices have gone into effect this month, the Oil Ministry clarified in a statement in response to media reports which have been amended since.

Now all households pay more for gas: The government also hiked subsidized butane gas cylinders in September by 50% for households and 33.3% for commercial institutions in response to global price increases pushing up the cost of butane.

And factories could be next, as a government source confirmed to EnterpriseAM in September that the government has been studying the possibility of raising the price of natural gas supplies for the country’s industrial sector since July.

Remember: The Madbouly government has hiked fuel prices three times this year, most recently last month raising prices by 8-17%.

The endgame is to suspend fuel subsidies altogether: The government had initially planned to phase out subsidies for butane and other petroleum products entirely by the end of 2025, but that date could be pushed back depending on how the current talks with the IMF go.

A note from the editors: An earlier version of this story suggested that the government decided this month to raise the prices of natural gas for households. The story has been amended on 4 November 2024 to clarify that the Oil Ministry decided the price increases in September.

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