El Molla discusses east Mediterranean-Europe gas pipelines with EU Energy Commissioner

Oil Minister Tarek El Molla discussed increasing energy cooperation with EU Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete in Brussels yesterday, Al Masry Al Youm reports. Talks included the potential extension of natural gas pipelines between Egypt and Europe, which would see gas sent to liquefaction plants in Egypt before it’s re-exported. Cañete said he would lead a delegation to Egypt sin 1Q2018 to hammer out the details of a strategic partnership agreement. El Molla’s visit comes days after Egypt and Cyprus reached a preliminary agreement on establishing a natural gas pipeline connecting Cypriot fields with liquefaction plants in Egypt’s Idku. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz also said yesterday that the EastMed Pipeline project “could help secure [Europe’s] energy future,” according to the Associated Press. According to Steinitz, studies on the project show “that the pipeline is feasible, even though it presents technical challenges due to the depths involved.”