MILAN (Realist English). Chevron Corp. is working to expand Israeli natural gas supplies to Egypt, as the North African nation’s demand for fuel continues to outpace domestic production, the company’s global gas president Freeman Shaheen said at the Gastech conference in Milan, according to Bloomberg.
“Egypt needs all the gas it can get,” Shaheen told industry executives, describing the country’s appetite as “insatiable.”
Egypt re-emerged as a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer last year after its own output declined, tightening global markets. With several new projects due online in the coming years, analysts expect Egypt to absorb a significant share of future supply. Imports have already doubled compared with 2018, supported by the addition of multiple floating import terminals.
Chevron operates Israel’s Leviathan gas field, which currently sends pipeline gas to Egypt. The field was temporarily shut down last year due to security concerns during the war in Gaza, underscoring the geopolitical sensitivities around energy flows. Despite the conflict, Israel and Egypt signed a long-term supply deal last month worth about $35 billion — the largest such agreement in Israel’s history.
Shaheen said Chevron is pursuing “more development in the country” and is also weighing additional U.S. LNG shipments to Egypt. The company has already secured 7 million tons of LNG from American sources and is studying the potential deployment of a floating LNG (FLNG) production unit at Leviathan to accelerate expansion. Chevron is also evaluating FLNG opportunities globally, including in Nigeria and Argentina.
The push reflects broader shifts in global energy markets, where geopolitics remain a central driver. Oil & Gas Middle East has reported that the U.S. government’s partial easing of sanctions has given Chevron a modest boost, while also offering Venezuela’s PDVSA a fragile lifeline. Analysts say the developments highlight how energy trade and politics remain tightly intertwined.
