An Egyptian plant that carries natural gas to Israel exploded in the northern Sinai desert, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported. It said that “subversive elements” were behind the explosion.
Flames and smoke billowed into the sky in the area of the pipeline, the Al Arabiya network reported. The pipeline carries gas to both Israel and Jordan, MENA reported.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters have been demonstrating in Cairo and other cities for more than 10 days, calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak has warned that an early departure for him would leave Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, in chaos.
Egypt supplies Israel with gas under a 15-year contract and is expected to eventually deliver almost 1 trillion cubic feet. Israel imports about 85 percent of its energy.
Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said Feb. 1 that events in Egypt should heighten concern over the supply of natural gas to Israel, and the country should move quickly to develop its own gas sites.
Jordan aims to increase imports of Egyptian gas for use in its power plants to 330 million cubic meters in 2011, from 240 million cubic meters last year, then Energy Minister Khalid Irani said in an interview on July 14.
الرئيسية 
موضوع: Egypt Gas Pipeline Feeding Israel Explodes in Sinai 
السبت فبراير 05, 2011 2:14 am
