Egypt’s fertilizer and petrochemical producers need a 25% increase in natural gas supplies to hit ambitious export targets, as the sector attempts to rebound from years of energy-related production curbs, an official familiar with export plans at the Chemical and Fertilizers Export Council told Al Manassa.
The industry requires between 700 million and 750 million cubic feet of gas per day to meet a 2026 goal of raising exports by 12%, the official said. Current supply levels hover around 600 million cubic feet.
Fertilizer and chemicals exports rose to about $9.4 billion in 2025, from $8.5 billion the year before, an increase of $900 million, or more than 10%, the source added.
They said fertilizer and chemicals producers agreed with the export council to open new markets to compensate for export-plan disruptions in previous periods due to reduced gas flows to factories.
Egypt’s declining natural gas output since 2023 has pushed supplies below domestic consumption estimated at about 6 billion cubic feet a day, leading to repeated power cuts and lower output in some industries, including fertilizers and chemicals, the source said. Output fell as supplies dropped below consumption, contributing to repeated power outages and reduced industrial production, they added.
Chemical industries exports account for about 22% of Egypt’s total non-oil exports, the source said, expecting exports in the first quarter of this year to reach about $2.5 billion, supported by plans to develop local production and expand the base of chemical exporters.
Turkey, France, Italy, and Brazil accounted for the largest share of 2025 exports, while recent months saw rising exports to Gulf markets, a trend the source said expect to continue in 2026.
The source said gas availability for fertilizer and chemical plants is supported by several factors, including lower temperatures that reduce gas use at power stations, increased imported gas shipments, and foreign partners raising local output from their concession areas.
The value of liquefied natural gas imports rose to about $7.2 billion in the first 10 months of last year, from $3.85 billion in the same period of 2024, an increase of 87%, driven by a sharp rise in imported cargoes that reached about 18 shipments a month at the height of summer, compared with between five and seven shipments in the summer of 2024.
In August, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Egypt has natural gas infrastructure including liquefaction plants in Idku and Damietta, and expected domestic gas production to return to 6.6 billion cubic feet a day by 2027.
