Egyptian gas trickling into Israel

JERSALEM, Israel, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Egyptian natural gas supplies to consumers in Israel are online but at levels far below contractual obligations, an Israeli industry official said.

The Jordanian government is said to be examining the possibility of getting natural gas from Persian Gulf states or tap into liquefied natural gas from its neighbors to compensate for supply disruptions from Egypt, one of Jordan's top energy suppliers.

Militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last year targeted natural gas pipelines supplying consumers in Israel and Jordan nearly a dozen times.

An Israeli industry source told the Platts news service that gas supplies from Egypt have resumed but at levels less than the expected levels.

"The aim is to reach 50 percent of the contractual commitment in the coming weeks," the authority said. Egypt last year aimed to increase gas shipments to Israeli consumers to 100 billion cubic feet.

In December, a group calling itself Ansar al-Jihad said it was responsible for the latest attack. In an Internet message, the group said it was loyal to the teachings of "the martyr Imam Osama bin Laden."

East Mediterranean Gas, a subsidiary of Ampal-American Israel Corp., filed a suit in an international court against Egyptian energy companies because of the frequent supply disruptions.