Egypt is preparing to issue an international tender in March 2026 to import around 100 cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), valued at an estimated $5.4 billion, in an effort to bridge the widening gap between domestic gas demand and falling production, according to senior government officials.
Supplies under the tender are expected to begin in April. Bidding terms include payment deferrals of at least six months, a 25% letter of credit to be opened once each shipment enters Egyptian territorial waters, and a maximum cargo price of $54 million.
The LNG purchases will complement volumes already secured for early 2026 through previous deals. Egypt contracted 160 cargoes earlier this year, in addition to 60 shipments from Shell and TotalEnergies. Officials said these allocations will cover national needs for the first quarter of 2026.
In the near term, the Petroleum Ministry has sharply reduced LNG imports for December 2025 and January 2026 by 56%, limiting arrivals to seven cargoes per month to save around 1 billion cubic feet per day for the domestic market. Meanwhile, about 25 scheduled shipments have been postponed to the first quarter of 2026 following lower fuel allocations to the Electricity Ministry.
Despite rising import needs, Egypt will continue limited LNG exports through its Idku plant for foreign partners Shell and Petronas. A cargo is being loaded this week for Europe, according to officials.
Government sources also confirmed that foreign oil and gas partners have been granted permission to export part of their gas entitlements via Egypt’s liquefaction terminals, with a minimum allocation of four export cargoes per month.
The tender underscores Cairo’s challenge of meeting surging domestic consumption amid declining output, foreign-currency constraints, and global price volatility — even as the state works to revive upstream gas production and maintain a foothold in LNG exports.
