据美国彭博新闻社3月15日新加坡和伦敦报道，埃及日前表示准备重新加入液化天然气（LNG）主要出口国的行列，这将成为埃及在至少5年来供应市场的最大举错。

知情人士表示，埃及国有天然气公司EGAS日前招标出售4船4月份装船的LNG。上述知情人士称，竞标将于周一截止，有效期至3月25日。这些因竞标过程细节属于保密而要求不披露名字的知情人士说，EGAS不日还将招标销售5月份的4批LNG货物和6月份的3批LNG货物。

对埃及而言，此次招标标志着该国天然气行业的复苏。2014年，埃及国内天然气产量下降，迫使该国暂停了大部分LNG出口。在包括祖尔大气田在内的重大发现的帮助下，这个北非国家重新实现了天然气自给自足。埃及从达米埃塔和艾德库LNG厂出口LNG，这两个LNG厂5年前基本上处于闲置状态。

来自埃及的额外LNG供应将冲击全球市场，此前欧洲和亚洲的需求因温和的冬季而受到抑制，而这种超冷燃料的现货价格已处于2017年7月以来的最低水平。美国、俄罗斯和澳大利亚都在加剧LNG供应过剩，他们纷纷启动新厂出口燃料扩大市场份额。

行业咨询公司Inspired Energy Plc董事尼克?坎贝尔在电子邮件中表示：“埃及从LNG进口国转变为著名LNG出口国的速度和规模可能会进一步放开本已张大的供需平衡。由于欧洲和远东地区的冬天变暖，这将恶化需求较低的环境，导致库存水平相当饱和。”

2015年，埃及成为LNG的主要消费国，利用其再气化和进口装置来接收进口LNG货物。由于祖尔大气田的天然气产量增加，一度每年高达120船LNG的采购在2018年停止，为恢复LNG出口奠定了基础。

李峻 编译自 彭博社

原文如下：

Egypt returns to LNG exports club seeking to sell cargoes

Egypt indicated it’s ready to rejoin the club of major exporters of liquefied natural gas, making its biggest offer to supply the market in at least five years.

The state gas company EGAS tendered to sell four cargoes of LNG for loading in April, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The bids are due on Monday and valid until March 25, according to the people, who asked not to be named because details of the process are confidential. The company is also marketing four cargoes for loading in May and three for June, people said.

For Egypt, the tender marks a revitalizing of its gas industry, where sagging domestic production forced it to halt most exports of LNG in 2014. The North African nation has regained self-sufficiency with the help of major discoveries including the giant Zohr gas field. LNG is exported from the Damietta and Idku plants, which were largely left idle five years ago.

Extra supplies from Egypt would hit a market already battling with the lowest spot prices for the super-chilled fuel since July 2017 following a mild winter that curbed demand across Europe and Asia. The U.S., Russia and Australia all are contributing to a glut, starting new plants to export the fuel and build market share.

“The speed and scale of which Egypt has turned from importer to notable exporter is likely to further loosen the already wide supply/demand balance,” Nick Campbell, a director at industry consultant Inspired Energy Plc, said by email. That will exacerbate “the lower demand environment with warmer winters in Europe and Far East leaving storage levels relatively full.”

Egypt became a major consumer of the fuel in 2015, using its regasification and import units to take in cargoes. Purchases that once were as large as 120 cargoes a year stopped in 2018 as flows increased from the Zohr field, setting the stage for a resumption of exports.