The Israeli Ministry of Environment announced that Egypt's supply of gas to Israel will not be resumed as anticipated following an attack on an oil pipeline in Northern Sinai on 5 February.

As a result of this delay, the Israeli Ministry of Environment permitted the use of fuel oil to run power stations to avoid a drop in the production of electricity.

Israel Yahom newspaper reported on the possibility of Egyptian authorities delaying gas export to Israel for political, not technical, reasons due to public pressure. Globus newspaper reported that Mirhav Company, the Israeli partner of Egypt's EMG that supplies gas to Israel, announced that gas pumping was not resumed as anticipated on 5 February.

It seems that gas flow will not be resumed by the end of this week. Shareholders in EMG approached their governments in the U.S., Thailand  and Europe to encourage the Egyptian government to instruct the company to expedite renewed supply to Israel, read a company statement.

Israeli businessman Yossi Miman, a partner in EMG, said this week that gas will be pumped to Israel within days. He said he was convinced that gas flow to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon would be resumed as soon as the technical problems in the gas pipeline line are resolved.

"Agreements between Egypt and Israel allow for Israeli entities to purchase up to 7 billion cubic meters of Egyptian gas annually, and I am sure that authorities in Egypt will not cut off gas flow to Israel because of Egypt's ratification of international conventions," Miman told Gobus newspaper.

The Israeli Ministry of National Infrastructure said that Egypt supplies 43 percent of Israel's natural gas, which is mostly used for electricity production.

(Source: almasryalyoum)