RIYADH: Cement companies in Egypt are seeking to return to operating with natural gas fuels instead of coal, after nearly seven years of the government’s decision to compel companies to use a mixture of fuels from coal and waste, Head of Industrials Sector at the Arab African International Securities Company, Rehan Hamza, said.
The continuous pumping of natural gas, and the rise in coal prices, will be guarantors of a stable return for cement factories in Egypt to rely on natural gas, she said in an interview with Al Arabiya.
The Export Council for Building Materials has prepared technical studies on the economic feasibility of cement factories returning to work with natural gas in light of rising coal prices to record levels, in addition to the high cost of shipping and import, and the abundance of local natural gas, she said. The study will be presented to the Ministry of Trade and Industry within days,
The Egyptian Cabinet issued a decision to reduce the price of natural gas for industry to $4.5 per million thermal unit, in March last year.
