Egypt confirmed its commitment and readiness to pump natural gas “immediately” to Lebanon as soon as the procedures related to the start of exporting and receiving Egyptian gas to Lebanese territory are completed.

During a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad in Cairo, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek el-Molla stressed Cairo’s readiness to provide all aspects of support, cooperation, and expertise to Lebanon in various petroleum activities.

El-Molla said the cooperation is an extension of the strong ties that unite the two countries and the continuous support of the political leadership in boosting relations with Lebanon.

During his visit, Fayyad thanked the Egyptian state, leadership, and people, for their support, especially as Lebanon grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), Magdy Galal.

Last June, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria signed an agreement to transport 650 million cubic meters of natural gas from Egypt to Lebanon via Syria.

Under the agreement, it will pump gas through a pipeline to the Deir Ammar power station in northern Lebanon, where it can add about 450 megawatts to the grid, equivalent to four additional hours of electricity per day.

The export of gas will be done through the existing Arab Gas Pipeline that was used to supply Egyptian gas, but it ceased operation several years ago.