Egypt announces plans to build 400 gas service stations in all part of the countries as part of the implementation of its “Autogas” program. The objective is to run the Egyptian car fleet on gas. The construction is to be completed in the next 24 months.

As part of the project, the Egyptian International Gas Technology (Gastec), a subsidiary of the state-owned petroleum company (EGPC), has been able to attract German carmaker, Volkswagen, to build vehicles of the Crafter and Caddy 5 type that is to run on natural gas and all vehicles in the fleet are to be equipped with a gas tank.

The Chairman of the company, Abdel Fattah Farahat said, “Egypt has the necessary frameworks and infrastructure as well as the national natural gas network to implement this project.”

Egypt is the country with the third-largest deposits of natural gas in Africa. The country has been keen on the promotion of dual engine cars, the conversion of petroleum-based engines to natural gas and the construction of natural gas filling stations across the country.

In August, the government announced its plans to triple the number of gas filling stations in the country from 190 to 556 in 2020.

Last month, Volkswagen was lobbying for tax breaks and localisation of incentives in Egypt before it commits to producing natural gas-powered vehicles in the country with the largest economy in North Africa. The company wants to bring in foreign staff to work on the local assembly lines to be used to manufacture the vehicles in the country.