Egypt’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the United States reached a record 86.05 billion cubic feet (bcf) in June 2026, surging 236% year-on-year as Cairo turned to spot-market purchases to keep its electricity grid running, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The June volume — the highest recorded since 2016 — also rose 138% from the 36.17 bcf imported in May 2026, and surpassed the previous monthly peak of 61.45 bcf set in November 2025.
The scale of the increase reflects how rapidly Egypt’s dependence on external gas supply has deepened.
The structural driver is a sharp decline in domestic production. Egypt’s natural gas output fell from approximately 70 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2021 to around 49 bcm in 2024, according to IEA data. Against annual consumption of 59 bcm in 2025, that leaves a significant operational deficit that the country is bridging through imported LNG.
The stakes are high: gas-fired generation accounts for nearly 80% of Egypt’s total electricity output, the IEA reports. Any sustained shortfall in gas supply translates directly into pressure on the national grid — a vulnerability that has already contributed to power cuts in recent years and that investors in Egypt’s power sector are watching closely.
Egypt’s pivot to spot-market LNG purchases — rather than long-term supply contracts — exposes the country to global price volatility and supply competition, particularly as demand for US LNG rises across Europe and Asia. Spot procurement offers flexibility but limits cost predictability, a concern for an economy already managing significant fiscal pressures.
The record import figure also signals a broader shift in Egypt’s energy posture. Once a net LNG exporter — with liquefaction terminals at Idku and Damietta feeding European markets — Egypt has spent recent years redirecting available gas to domestic consumption and increasingly supplementing that with imports.
The reversal has implications not only for Egypt’s energy security but for regional gas trade dynamics, as North Africa’s largest economy competes for cargoes on international markets.
For investors in Egypt’s power and energy infrastructure, the data underscores both the urgency of reversing the production decline and the medium-term dependence on imported supply.
Upstream investment to restore domestic output, alongside diversification of the electricity generation mix, will be central to reducing that exposure.
