Hapi_ Michael Damianos, Cypriot Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry, inspected the Damietta natural gas liquefaction plant during his visit to Egypt to participate in the Mediterranean Petroleum Conference and Exhibition MOC 2026, hosted by Alexandria from October 20 to 22, and his meeting with Eng. Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, as part of strengthening Egyptian-Cypriot energy cooperation.
The Cypriot Minister was accompanied during the visit by Eng. Yassin Mohamed, Executive Managing Director of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), Ambassador Elena Rafti, Ambassador of Cyprus to Egypt, along with several global energy company officials and leaders concerned with the gas sector.
The visit aimed to inspect the technical and operational capabilities of the Damietta natural gas liquefaction plant and review the readiness of Egyptian infrastructure to receive Cypriot gas, liquefy it, and re-export it to global markets, supporting plans for developing gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean and enhancing the economic utilization of the region's resources.
The visit comes amid growing momentum in cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus to accelerate the implementation of projects linking Cypriot gas fields to Egyptian infrastructure, foremost among them the Cronos field, alongside the Aphrodite field integration project, allowing the utilization of Egyptian capabilities in gas processing, liquefaction, and export, while supporting regional energy integration and security of supply for European and global markets.
During the tour, Eng. Yassin Mohamed, Deputy Managing Director of Damietta Liquefied Natural Gas (DLNG), reviewed the technical and operational capabilities of the plant, which has a production capacity of approximately 6 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually, explaining the gas reception, processing, and liquefaction system, storage and export capabilities, as well as the application of occupational safety and health standards.
The tour included inspecting the liquefaction units, LNG storage tanks, and the marine jetty, learning about the operation and export system, and the capabilities provided by these facilities to receive gas from regional sources and prepare it for export to target markets.
The Damietta plant, alongside the Idku LNG complex, is one of the most prominent assets owned by Egypt in the field of liquefied natural gas. The plant began exporting its first cargoes in 2005 and represents a key component of Egypt's infrastructure supporting regional cooperation projects in the gas field, enabling the utilization of Egypt's geographical location and existing liquefaction and export capabilities.
The Cypriot Minister was accompanied by several members of the Cypriot delegation participating in the conference, Diego Portoghese, Head of North Africa and Middle East at Italy's Eni, Andrea Barbieri, General Manager of IEOC, Dr. Mohamed El-Bagoury, Head of the Central Administration for Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Eng. Osama El-Samoudy, Executive Deputy Managing Director for Operations and Networks at EGAS, and Eng. Alaa Hagar, Executive Deputy Managing Director and Supervisor of the Technical Office, Special Projects, and Process Safety at EGAS, alongside several leaders of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company and Damietta LNG Company.
