Egypt connects 2.2 million Upper Egypt households to natural gas network

Egypt has connected more than 2.2 million household customers in Upper Egypt to the natural gas network since 2009, as the government continues to expand energy infrastructure in the region, the Cabinet said on Monday.

The connections, recorded through the end of June 2026, also included about 9,432 commercial customers and 202 industrial facilities, according to a government report.

More than 146,000 new household customers were connected during the 2025/26 fiscal year, while the government is targeting more than 179,000 additional household connections in 2026/27.

The expansion covers the Upper Egypt governorates of Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan, with the government seeking to extend services to more cities and villages in the region.

Under the national Hayah Kareema (Decent Life) Initiative to develop rural villages, natural gas networks have been extended to 374 villages in the first phase, with gas supplied to 328 of them, representing an implementation rate of about 88 per cent, the report said.

Upper Egypt’s gas network infrastructure includes more than 30 main pressure-reduction stations and more than 750 secondary distribution stations, according to the report.

The infrastructure is expected to support further expansion and higher connection rates, depending on the readiness of target areas and the availability of the required infrastructure, the government said.

The expansion also aims to replace liquefied petroleum gas cylinders with natural gas, reduce the burden of subsidies, and support commercial and industrial activity in Upper Egypt, according to the report.