Egypt is moving forward with its plans to become a regional natural gas hub as its two liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants are running at full capacity for the first time in more than a decade.  

Egypt’s Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla told news media at the East Mediterranean Gas Forum last month that the two plants, the Eni SpA-operated 5 million metric tons/year (mmty) Damietta plant and the Shell plc-operated 3.6 mmty Egyptian LNG (ELNG), recently reached full capacity, taking advantage of the jump in global LNG prices.

As Egypt meets its domestic gas needs, the country plans to increase LNG exports, boosted by the discovery of the huge offshore Zohr field, the country’s largest gas discovery and the largest discovery in the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of last year,...