Why Egypt’s gas sector is leaning heavily on LNG imports

Egypt gas trade shift: Faced with recurring supply disruptions and rising import needs, Egypt has rapidly scaled back pipeline imports, scaled up LNG purchases, expanded its supplier network, and deployed multiple floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) — creating a redundant logistics backbone for its energy system while keeping one eye on future export ambitions.

By the numbers: Egypt imported nearly 6 bcm (c. 2.35 bcf / d) of natural gas in 1Q 2026, a 36% y-o-y increase, according to the latest figures from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (Jodi) (pdf). The data also shows a sharp shift in the import mix, which tilted heavily toward LNG during the quarter. LNG inflows more than doubled, jumping 131% y-o-y to 4.3 bcm (c. 1.7 bcf / d) — accounting for nearly 72% of all gas imports during the quarter — while pipeline gas imports dropped 34% y-o-y to 1.7 bcm (c. 670 mmcf / d).

LNG has become the balancing source

The shift did not happen overnight. The country imported virtually no LNG in 2023, before bringing in roughly 4.4 bcm in 2024 and around 13.1 bcm in 2025. The trend has continued this year, with LNG imports during 1Q 2026 alone nearly matching the country’s entire LNG intake during 2024.

The broader import picture highlights the scale of transformation: Total gas imports climbed from nearly 8.6 bcm (c. 304 bcf) in 2023 to 14.6 bcm (c. 516 bcf) in 2024 and to 22.2 bcm (c. 786 bcf) in 2025. The country added roughly 13.7 bcm (c. 483 bcf) of annual imports over the period — a cumulative 159% increase to keep the lights running, growing at a compound annual rate of 61%.

Depending on pipelines proved risky

Pipeline gas represented virtually all of Egypt’s imports in 2023, initially helping cushion the production decline, rising to a 10.2 bcm (c. 360 bcf) spike in 2024. By 2025, pipeline imports fell back to 9.2 bcm (c. 325 bcf), with LNG accounting for nearly 60% of the country's total gas imports in the year, highlighting the shift toward diversification.

While Israeli gas remains a critical source of supply, repeated regional disruptions have exposed the risks of relying too heavily on a single pipeline corridor. Pipeline imports fell from nearly 2.6 bcm in 1Q 2025 to 1.7 bcm in 1Q 2026. The decline accelerated in March, when pipeline inflows plunged 78% m-o-m as regional tensions escalated. To compensate, the country increased LNG imports by 29% m-o-m in March to 1.67 bcm.

Building redundancy

An expanding procurement network supports this shift: Over the past two years, Egypt has broadened its supplier base to over 70 companies, including big names like Saudi Aramco, Trafigura Group, Vitol Group, Hartree Partners, BGN, Shell, and Azerbaijan’s Socar, giving the country access to a broader range of cargo suppliers while reducing dependence on any single source of gas.

This comes at a growing financial cost. Natural gas made up 45% of Egypt’s fuel import bill in 1Q, totaling USD 2.5 bn between January and March. The import bill is set to jump 26% y-o-y to USD 10.7 bn in the next fiscal year to cover both LNG cargoes and pipeline gas.

Importing and exporting at the same time?

Before Egypt became a major LNG importer, it first stopped being a major gas exporter. Annual gas exports fell from around 5.6 bcm in 2023 to 1.4 bcm in 2024 and 1.1 bcm in 2025, as declining domestic production forced more gas into the local market.

There’s a catch: Exports dropped from 906 mcm in 1Q 2024 to 90 mcm in 1Q 2025, before recovering to 377 mcm in 1Q 2026 — a fourfold rebound.

The rebound does not necessarily signal a recovery in Egypt’s domestic production. Instead, it reflects a deliberate strategy of using LNG imports to satisfy domestic demand while preserving export activity and keeping the liquefaction infrastructure running, attempting to maintain its position in the regional gas trade even during periods of supply stress.

The growing role of LNG has also turned FSRUs into critical pieces of national infrastructure: Beyond enabling Egypt to import gas from multiple suppliers, regasification vessels support regional gas trade ambitions by allowing neighboring countries to import LNG cargoes through Egyptian terminals, where they are regasified before being pumped onward through existing pipeline networks — think the Arab Gas Pipeline.

The approach is closely tied to Egypt’s long-term ambition of becoming a regional gas hub: “Importing and exporting — this would be the end game for Egypt,” VP and Country Chair of Shell Egypt Dalia El Gabry said at an AmCham gathering back in April. Maintaining export capability when times get rough, despite rising imports, helps preserve commercial relationships with energy firms and positions Egypt to handle future gas flows from neighboring producers for liquefaction and re-export.