Israels Energy Expansion Raises Concerns Among Arab States

Reports Emerge on Israel’s Growing Energy Control in Region

A recent development in the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran has shed light on Israel’s increasing energy control over its Arab neighbors, including Jordan and Egypt. According to reports, these countries have cut off gas supplies to Syria at the start of the war.

In January, Egypt began supplying 2.8 million cubic meters of gas per day to Syria through the Arab Gas Pipeline, which runs from Egypt’s El Arish to Jordan’s Aqaba and then north to Amman, Damascus, and Homs, before reaching Lebanon’s Tripoli. A memorandum of understanding was also signed with Lebanon for the import of gas from Egypt, although technical challenges have delayed the start of gas flow.

Jordan’s state-owned National Electric Power Company signed a deal with the Syrian Petroleum Company for the supply of 4 million cubic meters of gas daily in January. The question arose as to where Egypt and Jordan would obtain gas for export, given that both countries are not major gas producers.

Egypt is a gas producer, but its local production has declined over the past few years, reaching a six-year low of 49.3 billion cubic meters in 2024. In the same year, imports reached a record high of 14.6 billion cubic meters, with about 10 billion cubic meters coming from Israel.

Jordan is not a major gas-producing country and relies heavily on imports, mostly from Israel and Egypt. The Arab Gas Pipeline has become the primary conduit for exporting Israeli gas to both Jordan and Egypt.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Egypt and Israel in January for the import of Israeli gas until 2040, boosting supplies by another 2 billion cubic meters per year. However, reports on what gas Egypt is selling to Syria are conflicting, with some claiming it comes from Israeli origin while others suggest it may be liquefied natural gas received in Jordan and regasified before being pumped north through the pipeline.

The Arab Gas Pipeline has become a key player in Israel’s energy control over the region, with pipelines connecting to the Leviathan field off the coast of Haifa. Any independent LNG shipment arriving by tanker at the Aqaba terminal must enter the pipeline system, where it becomes part of a shared “gas blend” distributed among the interconnected states.

Source: Al Jazeera