开罗（彭博社）——埃及石油部长塔里克·埃尔莫拉 (Tarek El Molla) 表示，埃及可能会在今年下半年宣布新的天然气发现，从而更接近 2019 年实现自给自足的目标。

埃及天然气控股公司董事长穆罕默德·埃尔·马斯里在开罗对记者表示，埃及将于 2019 年开始出口天然气。他表示，今年3月至12月期间，该公司将从阿曼、俄罗斯石油公司Rosneft PJSC和法国Engie SA进口43至45批液化天然气，付款期限将在六个月内支付。

这个阿拉伯世界人口最多的国家依靠进口来满足其能源需求。自去年11月政府允许英镑浮动并提高利率以恢复人们对经济的信心以来，成本急剧上升。

俄罗斯石油公司 (Rosneft) 去年 12 月同意购买 Shorouk 多达 35% 的特许权，加入埃尼公司 (Eni SpA) 和英国石油公司 (BP Plc) 的行列，购买 Zohr 海上气田，这是地中海最大的发现。El Molla 表示，2017 年下半年 Zohr 油田附近有可能有新发现。

El Molla 表示，截至 12 月，埃及欠石油公司的债务已达 35 亿美元，政府致力于偿还债务。

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- Egypt may announce new discoveries of natural gas by the second half of this year, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla said, bringing it closer to its goal of self-sufficiency by 2019.

Egypt will start exporting natural gas in 2019, Mohamed El Masry, chairman of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co., told reporters in Cairo. It will import 43 to 45 cargoes of liquefied natural gas between March and December this year from Oman, Russia’s Rosneft PJSC, and France’s Engie SA, to be paid over six months, he said.

The Arab world’s most populous country relies on imports to meet its energy needs. Costs have risen sharply since November, when the government allowed the pound to float and raised interest rates in a bid to restore confidence in its economy.

Rosneft agreed in December to buy as much as 35% of the Shorouk concession, joining Eni SpA and BP Plc in the Zohr offshore gas field, the largest discovery in the Mediterranean Sea. There is potential for new discoveries near Zohr field in the second half of 2017, El Molla said.

Egypt’s debts to oil companies reached $3.5 billion by December and the government is committed to paying them back, El Molla said.