
File Photo: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (Reuters)
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called for maintaining the country’s strategic reserve of petroleum materials, while ensuring that all petroleum sector projects are seeing the necessary preventive measures to protect their workers from the coronavirus pandemic.
The president’s directives were issued during his meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla, and presidential aide for national and strategic projects Sherif Ismail.
Egypt's Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady stated that the president reviewed during the meeting the latest developments in the international oil market amid the repercussions of the coronavirus outbreak.
Petroleum minister Tarek El-Molla ensured that petroleum transport and filling stations across the country are functioning regularly throughout the day to serve the citizens and activities excluded from the curfew, Rady added.
El-Molla briefed President El-Sisi on the level of the country's strategic stockpile of crude oil and other petroleum products, as well as the daily average of imports, production and consumption.
President El-Sisi called for continuing the projects of natural gas delivery to new cities and social housing units across the country, Rady said.
The president also called for the expansion of the smart gas metering system.
Egypt slightly lowered domestic fuel prices on Friday but stopped short of a significant cut despite a plunge in oil prices due to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the global decline is temporary.
The price of the widely used 92 octane gasoline was lowered to EGP 7.5 a litre, down from EGP 7.75, 80 octane to EGP 6.25 a litre, down from EGP 6.5, and 95 octane to EGP 8.5 a litre, down from EGP 8.75.
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