Egyptian gas supply to Israel again fails to start up

Egypt again failed to begin supplying Israel with natural gas. The gas was supposed to resume Monday after repairs on a gas line that was sabotaged on Feb. 5 during the uprising in Egypt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. A leak was discovered shortly before the gas supply was set to resume, the Ampal-American Israel Corp said Monday in a statement. No date has been given for resumption of the gas supply.

[additional-authors]

Jewish Journal

March 15, 2011

Egypt again failed to begin supplying Israel with natural gas.

The gas was supposed to resume Monday after repairs on a gas line that was sabotaged on Feb. 5 during the uprising in Egypt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

A leak was discovered shortly before the gas supply was set to resume, the Ampal-American Israel Corp said Monday in a statement. No date has been given for resumption of the gas supply.

Egypt supplies more than 40 percent of the gas that Israel needs to provide the country with electricity. The supplies had been expected to resume last month.

The Israel Electric Company earlier this month received permission from Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry to use diesel and fuel oil to run power plants.

Some Israeli media have accused the Egyptian interim military government authorities of delaying the supply of gas to Israel for political reasons.

Egypt has suggested that it will not supply the usual amounts of gas when the pipeline is up and running again, according to reports, and wants to renegotiate better terms for its contract with Israel for supplying natural gas.