Two blasts hit Egypt’s gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan – Al Arabiya

An Egyptian pipeline sending gas to Israel and Jordan was hit by two explosions early Thursday, Egypt’s security services and the official news agency said.

A first blast occurred around 1:00 am (2300 GMT Wednesday) 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the town of al-Arish in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, a security source said.

A second unexplained explosion took place near a pumping station in the same sector, the official news agency MENA said, adding that the army was deploying in the region.
Primary examination showed that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were put under the pipeline and were detonated from a distance
a security source

The pipeline, which carries gas through the Sinai and on to Jordan and Israel, had already been attacked six times since former president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February. The blast is also the first since pumping was resumed on October 24.

“Primary examination showed that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were put under the pipeline and were detonated from a distance,” a security source told Reuters.

“The attackers used two trucks and extended wires were found at the scene,” he added.

Residents Arish told Reuters that flames could be seen from the town, and other witnesses said they had seen armed men at the scene of the first blast, the security source said. He did not know if there had been any victims.

Previous attacks have disrupted gas deliveries to both destination countries several times, but it was not immediately clear what impact the latest incidents would have.

The most recent attack was on September 27 and left one person injured.

Army experts have also located and defused a number of other devices targeting the pipeline.

Egyptian authorities have on several occasions announced measures to step up protection of the pipeline and try to arrest those behind the attacks.

Israel generates 40 percent of its electricity using natural gas, and Egypt provides 43 percent of its supplies of the material.

The deliveries to Israel, agreed under Mubarak who was overthrown on February 11, have come under heavy criticism in Egypt.
Deal with Israel

Egypt and Israel have signed a 20-year natural gas deal by which Egypt would export gas to its neighbor; however, the deal was unpopular with the Egyptian public and critics argued the Jewish state had been offered gas at prices that were too low.

A company official from East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG), which exports Egyptian gas to Israel, had said in July that international shareholders in the firm were pursuing legal claims against Egypt for $8 billion in damages from contract violations in gas supplies. That followed disruptions caused by pipeline attacks.

Egyptian gas also covers 80 percent of Jordan’s electricity production demand − 6.8 million cubic meters a day. Egypt doubled the price of gas exported to Jordan last month.

Petroleum Minister Abdullah Ghorab said the new price for gas exported to Jordan was just above $5 per million BTU, compared to the previous price of $2.15 to $2.30.
The Egyptian government said this month it would tighten security measures along the pipeline by installing alarm devices and appointing security patrols from local Bedouin tribes.

Previous explosions have closed the pipeline, run by Gasco, Egypt’s gas transport company − a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS, for weeks.

Egypt’s Sinai region is also particularly security sensitive due to tensions with the Bedouin community living there. Many goods are smuggled to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza through Sinai, which the Israelis also charge is a rear base for militant attacks against its territory.

Two blasts hit gas pipeline between Egypt, Jordan, Israel
By REUTERS / Jerusalem Post

Pipeline’s shut down after saboteurs cause 7th explosion of year; “attackers used 2 trucks,” says Egypt security official.

CAIRO – Saboteurs blew up the gas pipeline between Egypt, Israel and Jordan on Thursday morning in Northern Sinai using remote controlled explosive bombs forcing a shutdown in the flow of gas, Egyptian security sources said.

The blast, the seventh this year and the first since pumping was resumed on 24 October, was near Mazar area, 30 km (18 miles) west of the town of Al-Arish.

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Witnesses saw a second, smaller explosion west of Al-Arish near a pumping station, state news agency MENA reported. The report said it was not clear whether any damage was done. The explosions are the first since pumping resumed on Oct. 24.

“Primary examination showed that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were put under the pipeline and were detonated from a distance,” a security source told Reuters.

“The attackers used two trucks and extended wires were found at the scene,” he added.

Residents in Al-Arish told Reuters that flames could be seen from the town. Witnesses told MENA security forces and fire fighters had controlled the fire.

The pipeline has been a target for attacks by anonymous saboteurs since the overthrow of Mubarak in February, although the first pipeline attack took place days before he was ousted by an uprising.

Egypt and Israel have signed a 20-year natural gas deal by which Egypt would export gas to its neighbour. The deal was unpopular with the Egyptian public and critics argued the Jewish state had been offered gas at prices that were too low.

A company official from East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG), which exports Egyptian gas to Israel, had said in July that international shareholders in the firm were pursuing legal claims against Egypt for $8 billion in damages from contract violations in gas supplies. That followed disruptions caused by pipeline attacks.

Egypt doubled the price of gas exported to Jordan last month. The government was under pressure to charge Israel and Jordan more for gas exports because those fixed under Mubarak were seen as below market rates.

Petroleum Minister Abdullah Ghorab said the new price for gas exported to Jordan was just above $5 per million BTU, compared to the previous price of $2.15 to $2.30.

The Egyptian government said this month it would tighten security measures along the pipeline by installing alarm devices and appointing security patrols from local Bedouin tribes.

Previous explosions have closed the pipeline, run by Gasco, Egypt’s gas transport company – a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS, for weeks.

Egypt blasts sever Jordan’s gas supplies for seventh time – Jordan Times

By Taylor Luck

AMMAN – Explosions in the Sinai Peninsula severed Egyptian gas supplies to Jordan on Thursday, casting doubt over the security of the Kingdom’s main energy source.

The blast, which marks the seventh act of sabotage on the Arab Gas Pipeline this year, took place at dawn on Thursday northwest of Al Arish in the Sinai Peninsula, according to Egyptian officials.

In a statement, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura confirmed that the Sinai blast “completely severed” natural gas supplies to Jordan, which the country relies on for over 80 per cent of its electricity needs.

With the disruption, the Kingdom’s power plants will resort to their diesel and heavy fuel oil reserves – enough for 30 days – costing the country some JD3 million per day, according to the ministry.

Jordanian energy officials expressed frustration over the unreliability of Egyptian gas, indicating that the latest incident will accelerate efforts to secure alternatives including the import of liquid gas from the Arabian Gulf and natural gas from Iraq.

Despite the renewed focus on alternatives to Egyptian gas, officials say it will take up to two years before Jordan benefits from any new agreement due to infrastructure requirements.

A ministry source warned that although the short-term electricity situation is “stable”, any prolonged disruption in gas supplies will place additional stress on the national budget and may affect electricity tariffs.

The attack, the second since Egyptian authorities assured Amman in August that an increased military presence in Sinai would secure the pipeline, comes ahead of an anticipated spike in electricity demand during the winter months.

‘Criminal act’

A representative of GASCO, the Egyptian firm that oversees the pipeline, confirmed on Thursday that gunmen damaged the Arab Gas Pipeline, which supplies natural gas to both Jordan and Israel.

A GASCO source, who was not authorised to speak to the press, said it was too early to determine the extent of the damages – which based on previous attacks may take “up to two weeks” to repair.

GASCO officials and security sources quoted by local press reports were unable to identify the attackers, who are believed to be a group opposed to the export of Egyptian gas to Israel.

In a press statement on Thursday, Egyptian Minister of Petrol Abdullah Ghorab denounced the attack as a “criminal act”, noting that the pipeline also supplies the largest electricity station in Sinai serving “tens of thousands” of Egyptian citizens.

Prior to yesterday’s blast, the Kingdom received 150 million cubic feet of gas daily, a level that is to reach 220 million cubic feet early next year under a revised agreement between Amman and Cairo.

The revised natural gas deal, which was approved by the Jordanian government in August, has yet to be given the green light by Cairo, which has come under increasing popular pressure to prioritise natural gas for domestic use, according to official sources.

The new agreement, which is expected to raise gas prices from less than $2 to $6 per 1,000 cubic feet, includes a clause stipulating that Cairo must supply Amman with additional quantities as compensation should supply lines be disrupted.

Ongoing disruptions to Egyptian gas supplies has widened the budget deficit and ballooned the Kingdom’s national energy bill – expected to surpass the JD4 billion mark by the end of the year.

Earlier this year, Amman embarked on a strategy to secure alternative energy sources to bridge a five-year “gap” in energy supplies ahead of the development of local resources including oil shale, wind and nuclear power.

As part of their efforts, energy officials are set to float a tender next month for the construction of an offshore liquid gas terminal in the Port of Aqaba by 2013, having received initial interest from international firms including Lemont/General Electric and Royal Dutch Shell among others.

Jordan currently imports 97 per cent of its energy needs at a cost of 23 per cent of its gross domestic product.

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=43172

Blast hits Israel-Egypt gas pipeline for 7th time – YNET

Saboteurs blew up gas pipeline running between Egypt, Israel and Jordan on northern Sinai using remote controlled explosives, forcing it to shut down once more

Roee Nahmias
Published: 11.10.11, 10:08 / Israel News

Saboteurs blew up the gas pipeline between Egypt, Israel and Jordan on Thursday in Northern Sinai using remote controlled bombs, forcing it to shut down, Egyptian security sources said.

The first blast, the sixth since the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and the seventh this year, was near Mazar area, 18 miles west of the town of Al-Arish, security sources and witnesses said.

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Witnesses saw a second, smaller explosion west of Al-Arish near a pumping station, state news agency MENA reported. The report said it was not clear whether any damage was done. The explosions are the first since pumping resumed on October 24.

“Primary examination showed that Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were put under the pipeline and were detonated from a distance,” a security source told Reuters.

“The attackers used two trucks and extended wires were found at the scene,” he added.

Residents in Al-Arish told Reuters that flames could be seen from the town. Witnesses told MENA security forces and fire fighters had controlled the fire.

The pipeline has been a target for attacks by anonymous saboteurs since the overthrow of Mubarak in

February, although the first pipeline attack took place days before he was ousted by an uprising.

Gas dispute

Egypt and Israel have signed a 20-year natural gas deal by which Egypt would export gas to its neighbor.

The deal was unpopular with the Egyptian public and critics argued the Jewish state had been offered gas at prices that were too low.

A company official from East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG), which exports Egyptian gas to Israel, had said in July that international shareholders in the firm were pursuing legal claims against Egypt for $8 billion in damages from contract violations in gas supplies. That followed disruptions caused by pipeline attacks.

Egypt doubled the price of gas exported to Jordan last month. The government was under pressure to charge Israel and Jordan more for gas exports because those fixed under Mubarak were seen as below market rates.

Petroleum Minister Abdullah Ghorab said the new price for gas exported to Jordan was just above $5 per million BTU, compared to the previous price of $2.15 to $2.30.

The Egyptian government said this month it would tighten security measures along the pipeline by installing alarm devices and appointing security patrols from local Bedouin tribes.

Previous explosions have closed the pipeline, run by Gasco, Egypt’s gas transport company – a subsidiary of the national gas company EGAS, for weeks.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4146392,00.html