In the pipeline Eqypt’s move to natural gas is gaining momentum. Having previously announced a target of connecting 1.2 million households to a natural gas grid (marking a move away from liquefied petroleum gas) for FY2019/20, 742 000 Egyptian households were linked to the grid between July 2019 and January 2020 (H1 of the fiscal year), bringing the total of on-grid households to 10.75 million. Just more than six years ago, around 75% of Egyptian households relied on liquefied petroleum gas – supplied in cylinders, and mostly imported – prompting the government to launch its Household Natural Gas Connections project, in a bid to connect 1.5 million Egyptian households to grid-based natural gas lines for cooking fuel. A further 476 000 households are expected to be connected by mid-year, reaching the fiscal benchmark and bringing the total of connected areas to 86. The government will also initiate the roll-out of 200 000 prepaid natural gas meters in Q2 2020, following a trial that took place in Alexandria. 18 February 2020 Image: Gallo/Getty Images