Egypt’s Natural Gas Export Revenue Spikes 171%

Liquefied natural gas complex in Damietta, Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Liquefied natural gas complex in Damietta, Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Egypt’s Natural Gas Export Revenue Spikes 171%

Liquefied natural gas complex in Damietta, Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Liquefied natural gas complex in Damietta, Egypt (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla said on Wednesday that Egypt’s output of petroleum products amounted to around 79.5 MT in 2022, including around 50.6 MT of natural gas.

Egypt’s exports of natural gas rose to $8.40 billion in 2022, a surge of 171 percent from around $3.50 billion in 2021.

The leap in Egypt’s revenues from natural gas sales was attributed to a global increase in export prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

El-Molla revealed that the oil sector managed to benefit from the Egyptian government's plan to rationalize gas consumption in electricity, in order to provide additional quantities for export and benefit from the high LNG global prices.

He further assured that the domestic market demand was met, noting a spike of six percent in consumption.

According to the Minister, Egypt achieved 53 new oil and gas discoveries in 2022. The discoveries include 42 oil wells and 11 gas wells in the Western Desert, the Suez Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Nile Delta.

This is paying off with new international companies working in Egypt, specifically ExxonMobil and Chevron.

The minister confirmed that Egypt is becoming a regional hub for gas and petroleum trade, encouraging the European Union and neighboring countries to bolster cooperation and foster economic ties with Egypt in the energy sector.



Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
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Gold Jumps, on Track for Best Week in Over a Year on Safe-haven Demand

FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Gold bullions are displayed at GoldSilver Central's office in Singapore June 19, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

Gold prices rose over 1% to hit a two-week peak on Friday, heading for the best weekly performance in more than a year, buoyed by safe-haven demand as Russia-Ukraine tensions intensified.

Spot gold jumped 1.3% to $2,703.05 per ounce as of 1245 GMT, hitting its highest since Nov. 8. US gold futures gained 1.1% to $2,705.30.

Bullion rose despite the US dollar hitting a 13-month high, while bitcoin hit a record peak and neared the $100,000 level.

"With both gold and USD (US dollar) rising, it seems that safe-haven demand is lifting both assets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.

Ukraine's military said its drones struck four oil refineries, radar stations and other military installations in Russia, Reuters reported.

Gold has gained over 5% so far this week, its best weekly performance since October 2023. Prices have gained around $173 after slipping to a two-month low last week.

"We understand that the price setback has been used by 'Western world' investors under-allocated to gold to build exposure considering the geopolitical risks that are still around. So we continue to expect gold to rise further over the coming months," Staunovo said.

Bullion tends to shine during geopolitical tensions, economic risks, and a low interest rate environment. Markets are pricing in a 59.4% chance of a 25-basis-points cut at the Fed's December meeting, per the CME Fedwatch tool.

However, "if Fed skips or pauses its rate cut in December, that will be negative for gold prices and we could see some pullback," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

The Chicago Federal Reserve president reiterated his support for further US interest rate cuts on Thursday.

On Friday, spot silver rose 1.8% to $31.34 per ounce, platinum eased 0.1% to $960.13 and palladium fell 0.6% to $1,023.55. All three metals were on track for a weekly rise.