Egypt’s natural gas output is expected to increase to 6.2 bcf/d from 5.2 bcf/d by the end of FY2017-18, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla told Reuters as Eni’s supergiant Zohr field comes online. First gas is expected there by year’s end. El Molla had said recently that “Zohr, North Alexandria and Nooros are among the most important projects that will increase natural gas production … and will contribute to natural gas self-sufficiency by the end of 2018.”

Elsewhere: Zohr could very well be a “game-changer,” but only if Egypt can address its controversial pipeline management style, Shadow Governance Intel writes for Oil Price. New developments in Egypt’s gas sector, promising changes on the regulatory and legislative front, and “longstanding relationships” with international oil companies generally “mean that financial opportunities will almost certainly outweigh political risks,” the author says, “but a heightened level of due diligence may be required in order to safeguard entities from reputational damage or unfair competition” in the future.