Explosion at the Sheikh Zuwaid Gas Metering Station Damaged the Arab Gas Pipeline but Not the Gasline to Israel

摘要

The explosion and fire at the Sheikh Zuwaid gas filtering and metering station in the Sinai, which is located on the export gasline system that delivers Egyptian gas to Jordan and Israel, on 5 February brought exports to both these countries to a halt. As a security measure, the Oil Ministry announced that Egyptian Natural Gas Company (Gasco), a subsidiary of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (GAS), had closed the valves along the principal gasline before and after the metering station to enable the fire to be brought under control. At the time MENA Energies went to press (on 15 February), no information had been made public about the cause of the explosion, which the official media initially attributed to an act of sabotage and "terrorism", before oil industry officials began talking about a gas leak. Since the El Arish-Ashkelon gasline started up in May 2008, Egypt's gas exports to Israel have been a subject of considerable controversy for political reasons and because the selling price was considered too low. Towards the end of 2008 disruptions in gas deliveries were attributed by the media to sabotage attacks by desert Bedouins, which the authorities have always denied.