Arab Gas Pipeline
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Arab Gas Pipeline is an operating natural gas pipeline in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and formerly, Lebanon.[1][2]
Location
The Arab Gas Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline in the Middle East that starts in Egypt and extends to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Project Details
Arish-Taba Gas Pipeline
- Operator: Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO)[3]
- Owner: Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company[4]
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 265 kilometers[5]
- Diameter: 36 inches[5]
- Status: Operating
- Start year: 2003[5]
- Cost: US$207.55 million[1]
Taba-Aqaba Sea Gas Pipeline
- Operator: Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO)[3]
- Owner: Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company[4]
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 15 kilometers[5]
- Diameter: 26 inches[5]
- Status: Operating
- Start year: 2003[5]
- Cost: US$12.45 million[1]
Aqaba-Rihab Gas Pipeline
- Operator: Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company[6]
- Owner: Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company[6]
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 393 kilometers[5]
- Diameter: 36 inches[5]
- Status: Operating
- Start year: 2005[1]
- Cost: US$276 million[1]
- Financing: Loan from EIB, equity from sponsors and shareholders, syndicate of 19 banks, revenue from gas sales.[7]
Rihab-Jaber Gas Pipeline
- Operator: Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company[6]
- Owner: Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company[6]
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 30 kilometers[5]
- Diameter: 36 inches[5]
- Status: Operating[8]
- Start year: 2007[1]
- Cost: US$35 million[1]
- Financing: Loan from EIB, equity from sponsors and shareholders, syndicate of 19 banks, revenue from gas sales.[7]
Jaber-Homs Gas Pipeline
- Operator: Syrian Petroleum Company[9]
- Owner: Syrian Petroleum Company[9]
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 324 kilometers[10]
- Diameter: 36 inches[5]
- Status: Operating[8]
- Start year: 2008[5]
- Cost: US$200 million[11]
Homs-Deir Ammar Gas Pipeline
- Capacity: 600 mcm/y[12]
- Length: 101 kilometers[12]
- Diameter: 24 inches[12]
- Status: Idle[13]
- Start year: 2009[5]
Homs-Aleppo Gas Pipeline
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 240 kilometers[10]
- Diameter: 36 inches[10]
- Status: Cancelled
- Cost: US$395.5 million[10]
Aleppo-Kilis Gas Pipeline
- Capacity: 10.3 bcm/y[1]
- Length: 64 kilometers[10]
- Diameter: 36 inches[10]
- Status: Cancelled
- Start year: 2011[14]
- Cost: US$71 million[15]
- Associated infrastructure: Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline
Background
Summary
The Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP) is a natural gas pipeline in the Middle East. Proposed in 2001, it was built to export Egyptian natural gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and eventually Türkiye. It has a total length of around 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) and cost approximately US$1.2 billion to construct. The overall nameplate capacity of the pipeline is 10.3 bcm/y. The project was built in four general phases, though these are reported differently depending on the source. The first, Arish (Egypt) to Aqaba (Jordan) came online in 2003. It included the Arish-Taba onshore pipeline and the Taba-Aqaba undersea pipeline. The second phase, inside Jordanian border, came online in 2005 (Aqaba to Rihab) and 2007 (Rihab to Jaber). The third phase, Jaber to Homs (Syria) began operating in 2008. The fourth phase consisted of a proposed network extending from Homs to Deir Ammar (Lebanon), Homs to Aleppo (Syria), and Aleppo to Kilis (Türkiye). The Homs-Tripoli segment began operating in 2009. The Homs-Aleppo segment was never constructed, and the Aleppo-Kilis segment was constructed in 2011 after the decision to import Turkish gas to Syria was made. The Aleppo-Kilis segment incurred damage that prevented it from coming online as expected, but this segment was revamped in 2025 and connected to Türkiye's network to form the Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline.[16][14]
Gas supply from Egypt has been unstable over the years, with various segments of the pipeline facing shortages, damage, or falling idle since their construction. As of 2025, the Arish to Taba segment, Taba to Aqaba segment, Aqaba to Rihab segment, Rihab to Jaber segment, and a portion of the Jaber to Homs segment appear to be operating in some capacity, though they are severely underutilized.[17][8] The Homs to Deir Ammar segment fell idle in 2011, with plans to revive it being proposed in 2021 but failing to materialize.[13]
Arish-Taba Gas Pipeline
The first phase of the AGP was the segment from Arish, Egypt, to Aqaba, Jordan. This segment was divided into an onshore and offshore segment. The onshore segment travels from Arish to Taba, the Egyptian town on the Gulf of Aqaba. It travels 250km with a 36in diameter, and combined with the offshore segment, cost US$220 million. It was developed by an Egyptian consortium consisting of EGAS, ENPPI, PETROJET, and GASCO. It began operating in 2003.[1]
Taba-Aqaba Sea Gas Pipeline
The first phase of the AGP was the segment from Arish, Egypt, to Aqaba, Jordan. This segment was divided into an onshore and offshore segment. The offshore segment travels from Taba to Aqaba, Jordan. It travels 15km with a 26in diameter, and combined with the onshore segment, cost US$220 million. It was developed by an Egyptian consortium consisting of EGAS, ENPPI, PETROJET, and GASCO. It began operating in 2003[1][18]
Aqaba-Rihab Gas Pipeline
The second phase of the AGP was the segment inside Jordanian borders. The first of these was the Aqaba to Rihab segment, which travels 393km with a 36in diameter, and cost US$276 million. The Jordanian government undertook an international tender to select project sponsors to build, own, operate, and transfer the Jordanian portions of the AGP. Jordan selected an Egyptian consortium that later formed the Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company. Financial close was reached in 2004. The total cost of the Jordanian portions (Aqaba to Rihab and Rihab to Jaber) was US$300 million, with financing from project sponsors, shareholders, loans from a syndicate of 19 banks, a loan from the European Investment Bank, and revenue from gas sales at Aqaba Thermal Power Station. Construction finished ahead of schedule, and the pipeline began operating in 2005.[6][5][1]
Rihab-Jaber Gas Pipeline
The second phase of the AGP was the segment inside Jordanian borders. The second of these was the Rihab to Jaber (Jordan-Syria border) segment, which travels 30km with a 36in diameter, and cost US$35 million. The Jordanian government undertook an international tender to select project sponsors to build, own, operate, and transfer the Jordanian portions of the AGP. Jordan selected an Egyptian consortium that later formed the Jordanian Egyptian Fajr Natural Gas Company. Financial close was reached in 2004. The total cost of the Jordanian portions (Aqaba to Rihab and Rihab to Jaber) was US$300 million, with financing from project sponsors, shareholders, loans from a syndicate of 19 banks, a loan from the European Investment Bank, and revenue from gas sales at Aqaba Thermal Power Station. The pipeline began operating in 2007.[6][5][1]
Jaber-Homs Gas Pipeline
The third phase of the AGP was the segment between Rihab, Jordan, and Homs, Syria. This segment travels to the Al Rayan gas compressor station near Homs via the Deir Ali power station in southern Syria. It includes four launching/receiving stations, 12 valve stations, and a metering station. The pipeline is 324km with a 36in diameter. It was built by Stroytransgaz and cost US$200 million. It is presumed to be owned and operated by the Syrian Petroleum Company, who operates most of the gas processing plants in Syria.[11][9]
In 2025, Jordan began supplying gas through the Arab Gas Pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant in South Syria, which falls on the Jaber-Homs segment, making it partially operational. Syria also indicated it was working to rehabilitate the rest of the transmission line.[19][8]
Homs-Deir Ammar Gas Pipeline
As part of the fourth phase, gas began flowing from Homs to the Deir Ammar power station, Lebanon, in 2009. The segment runs from the Al-Rayan compressor station near Homs through the Syrian town of Addabousiyah before traveling to the power station near Tripoli, Lebanon. It is 101 km in total with 24in diameter.[12][5]
In 2011, the pipeline fell idle as the political situation became unstable in Syria.[13]
In 2021, an agreement was reached between Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon to restart gas flows to Lebanon, pending US approval that doing so would not violate its sanctions on Syria at the time. In 2022, a further agreement was signed for the transport of 650 million cubic meters of gas annually, adding 450 mw to Lebanon's grid and allowing for four additional hours of electricity per day. The gas flow revival never materialized.[13]
Homs-Aleppo Gas Pipeline
As part of the fourth phase, a pipeline between Homs and Aleppo was proposed in 2006, part of a larger vision to connect the Syrian portion of the AGP to Türkiye through Homs and Aleppo. A report for the World Bank in 2013 wrote:
"In the final phase [of the AGP], the aim is to connect Homs to Aleppo in Syria (240-km, 36-inch pipeline) and then on to Kilis on the Turkey-Syria border (64km) to enable the flow of Egyptian gas to Turkey and beyond. But as questions about the availability of Egyptian gas emerged, it was decided to undertake a 64-km pipeline from Kilis to Aleppo to enable the flow of gas from Turkey to the Syrian system, and later to connect Homs to Aleppo when gas availability questions are settled."[10]
The pipeline from Homs to Aleppo was never built, and the Aleppo to Kilis section evolved into a separate project independent from the AGP.[20][14]
In 2025, the Aleppo to Kilis section came online as part of the Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline, with leaders indicating that the pipeline will eventually extend into Homs, supplying gas from Türkiye's network instead of from the AGP.[14]
Aleppo-Kilis Gas Pipeline
As part of the fourth phase, a pipeline between Aleppo and Kilis, Türkiye, was proposed in 2006, part of a larger vision to connect the Syrian portion of the AGP to Türkiye through Homs and Aleppo.[20]
A report for the World Bank in 2013 wrote:
"In the final phase [of the AGP], the aim is to connect Homs to Aleppo in Syria (240-km, 36-inch pipeline) and then on to Kilis on the Turkey-Syria border (64km) to enable the flow of Egyptian gas to Turkey and beyond. But as questions about the availability of Egyptian gas emerged, it was decided to undertake a 64-km pipeline from Kilis to Aleppo to enable the flow of gas from Turkey to the Syrian system, and later to connect Homs to Aleppo when gas availability questions are settled."[10]
An MoU for the Aleppo-Kilis segment was signed in 2008 and Stroytransgaz signed a US$71 million contract for its construction. This was later cancelled and re-tendered in 2009. The new contract went to PLYNOSTAV Pardubice Holding, and the pipeline was complete in 2011. The segment fell idle as political instability emerged.[1]
In 2025, the Aleppo to Kilis segment was rehabilitated and connected to the Turkish gas network at Türkoğlu via Kilis to form the Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline which imports Azerbaijani gas into Syria.[14]
Other Possible Expansions
In 2004, plans for the gas project included extensions to the Syrian port of Baniyas by 2005, the Lebanese refinery of Zahrani in 2006, and onto Cyprus and European countries from Türkiye. Only the route to Türkiye went forward in some capacity. The involved governments also agreed in 2004 that Iraq would be permitted to connect to the pipeline through the Iran–Iraq–Syria pipeline and export its own gas to Europe via Türkiye.[21]
Interruptions to Service
Attacks
On 5 February 2011, amidst the 2011 Egyptian protests, an explosion was reported at the pipeline near the El Arish natural gas compressor station, which supplies pipelines to Israel and Jordan.[22][23][24][25][26] As a result, supplies to Israel and Jordan were halted.[27]
On 27 April 2011, an explosion at the pipeline near Al-Sabil village in the El-Arish region halted natural gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources unidentified saboteurs blew up a monitoring room of the pipeline.[28]
On 4 July 2011, an explosion at the pipeline near Nagah in the Sinai Peninsula halted natural gas supplies to Israel and Jordan.[29] An official said that armed men with machine guns forced guards at the station to leave before planting explosive charge there.[30]
An overnight explosion on 26–27 September 2011 caused extensive damage to the pipeline at a location 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Egypt's border with Israel. As the pipeline had not been supplying gas to Israel since an earlier explosion in July, it did not affect Israel's natural gas supply. According to Egyptian authorities, local Bedouin Islamists were behind the attack.[31]
On 14 October 2014, an explosion targeted the pipeline for the 26th time near Al-Qurayaa region south east of El-Arish city.[32]
On May 31, 2015, the pipeline was targeted by unknown attackers for the 29th time. [33]
It was targeted by unknown assailants again on January 7, 2016, and Wilayat Sinai claimed responsibility.[34]
Reverse Flow Agreement
In 2015, Jordan began exporting gas to Egypt due to domestic shortages. Through a reverse flow agreement, Egypt received regasified LNG that was delivered to Aqaba. Jordan resumed importing gas from Egypt in 2019.[17]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 "Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP), Jordan, Syria, Lebanon - Hydrocarbons Technology". www.hydrocarbons-technology.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
- ↑ "بالصور.. التفاصيل الكاملة لمسار خطى الغاز العربى والإسرائيلى بسيناء .. يبدأ من منطقة الجميل بمحافظة بورسعيد .. ويسير لمسافة تصل إلى 41 كيلو ثم يعبر أسفل قناة السويس إلى سيناء". اليوم السابع (in العربية). 2011-02-05. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Egyptian Natural Gas Company - Wikipedia". en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "History Of the Natural Gas Industry | EGAS". www.egas.com.eg. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 "وزارة الطاقة والثروة المعدنية". www.memr.gov.jo (in العربية). Retrieved 2025-08-06.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Fajr Egypt". fajr-egypt.com. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Jordanian Gas Transmission Pipeline Project" (PDF). energycharter.org. 2008. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Khatatneh, Ahmad (2025-07-02). "Jordan mulls increasing gas supplies to Syria, in cooperation with Egypt, Qatar". Jordan Times. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Syrian Petroleum Company". MEED. 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 "Regional Gas Trade Projects in Arab Countries" (PDF). World Bank. 2013. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "مشروع الغاز العربي بين طموحات الاقتصاد وعوائق الأمن والسياسة" (PDF). dimensionscenter.net. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 19 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Sh (2021-09-13). "Petroleum Minister: Arab Gas Pipeline Ready, Syria Gets Quantities of Egyptian Gas - The Syrian Observer". The Syrian Observer - A News Website. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Gas deal between Egypt, Lebanon stalled because of WB new terms: Minister". Egypt Today. 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 "Azerbaijan readies gas supplies for Syria". upstreamonline.com. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ↑ "Russians Build Turkey-Syria Pipeline - Kommersant Moscow". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ↑ "Arab Gas Pipeline (AGP), Jordan, Syria, Lebanon - Hydrocarbons Technology". www.hydrocarbons-technology.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Jordan to resume gas imports from Egypt in January". argusmedia.com. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "جلالة الملك والرئيس مبارك يدشنان غدا خط الغاز بين العريش والعقبة". الموقع الرسمي لجلالة الملك عبدالله الثاني ابن الحسين (in العربية). Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ "Exclusive: Qatar to provide gas to Syria via Jordan with a US nod, sources say". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections - Ministers agree to extend Arab gas pipeline to Turkey". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ↑ "Timetable for extending Arab gas pipelines inside Jordan and Syria discussed". web.archive.org. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ Egypt TV reports explosion, fire at gas pipeline in northern Sinai Penninsula near Gaza Strip Ashraf Sweilam, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, 5 February 2011
- ↑ Leaders inside outside Egypt seek exit from impasse Edmund Blair, Rueters, 5 February 2011
- ↑ Egypt holds gas supply to Israel and Jordan after pipeline explosion Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz, Archived from the original on 5 February 2011, Retrieved 5 February 2011
- ↑ Egypt Gas Exports to Israel, Jordan Halted After Sinai Pipeline Explosion Nayla Razzouk and Ola Galal, Bloomberg, archived from the original on 5 February 2011, retrieved 5 February 2011
- ↑ Gas pipeline to Jordan, Syria set ablaze in Egypt CNN, archived from the original on 5 February 2011, retrieved 5 February 2011
- ↑ Egypt gas pipeline attacked; Israel, Jordan flow hit Reuters, 5 February 2011, retrieved 5 February 2011
- ↑ Blast Hits Egypt-Israel Gas Pipeline Forcing Supply Halt, Ministry Says Nayla Razzouk, Ola Galal, Alaa Shahine, Bloomberg, archived from the original on 27 April 2011, retrieved 27 April 2011
- ↑ Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline Al Jazeera, archived from the original on 4 July 2011, retrieved 4 July 2011
- ↑ Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline Al Jazeera, archived from the original on 4 July 2011, retrieved 4 July 2011
- ↑ 6th attack on Sinai gas pipeline Globes, 27 September 2011
- ↑ For the 26th time, Egyptian gas pipeline attacked Youm7
- ↑ Natural gas pipeline blown up in Sinai Times of Israel
- ↑ Natural gas pipeline blown up in Sinai Middle East Eye
Related GEM.wiki articles
External resources
This article uses content from the Wikipedia page "Arab Gas Pipeline," under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
