Egypt’s natural gas imports increased by 36% year-on-year (YoY) during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, reaching approximately 6 billion cubic meters, compared to 4.4 billion cubic meters in the same period of 2025, according to data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI).

The increase comes as domestic natural gas production continues to decline, with output totaling around 9.85 billion cubic meters during the first three months of the year. The decline has pushed Egypt to rely more heavily on imports to meet the local market demand.

Imported gas has become an increasingly important part of Egypt’s energy supply mix, complementing domestic production to meet growing consumption needs.

The data also highlighted a significant shift in the country’s import structure. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports surged 131% YoY to 4.3 billion cubic meters in Q1 2026, while pipeline gas imports fell 34% to 1.7 billion cubic meters.

The figures reflect broader changes in Egypt’s gas sector over recent years. Domestic production declined from around 59 billion cubic meters annually in 2023 to approximately 42 billion cubic meters in 2025.

Over the same period, Egypt lost nearly 17 billion cubic meters of annual production capacity due to factors including declining output from mature fields and slower development and exploration activity.

The Zohr field, once a major driver of Egypt’s gas production growth, has seen output fall significantly from the record levels reached in previous years, weighing on the country’s overall production levels.

Meanwhile, gas imports have continued to climb rapidly, rising from 2.2 billion cubic meters in Q1 2023 to 6 billion cubic meters in the same period of 2026, marking a cumulative increase of about 172%.

The higher import volumes have been reflected in Egypt’s fuel import costs. Natural gas imports accounted for around 45% of the country’s total fuel imports during Q1 2026, with the import bill reaching approximately $2.5 billion.

Looking ahead, Egypt’s natural gas import bill is expected to increase by 26% in the next fiscal year (FY) 2026/2027 to around $10.7 billion, driven by the continued need to import both LNG and pipeline gas to satisfy domestic demand.

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