Egypt has raised natural gas prices for several energy-intensive industries ​starting in May, according to a ‌prime ministerial decree published on Sunday.

The government has already raised domestic fuel prices by ​up to 17% in March in response ​to soaring global energy costs, and ⁠is seeking to reduce fuel and ​electricity subsidies under an $8 billion programme ​agreed with the International Monetary Fund.

The decree raised the price of gas by an average ​of $2, reaching $14 per million British thermal ​units for cement factories, $7.75 for iron and steel, ‌non-nitrogen ⁠fertilisers and petrochemicals, and between $6.50 and $6.75 for other industrial activities and petrochemical plants producing ethane and propane mixtures.

The increases ​do not ​apply to ⁠consumers, whose gas supply contracts already include pricing formulas, the ​decree said.

Egypt's energy import bill ​has ⁠more than doubled, while monthly natural gas import costs have nearly tripled since the ⁠outbreak ​of the U.S.-Israeli war with ​Iran, with increased reliance on LNG imports or regional producers. (Reuters, 2026-05-04)