Egyptian company Big Rental has announced that it is selling home and industrial generators made in the US that run on butane or natural gas, according to the company's official site. President of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) Khaled Abdel-Badie told the Daily News Egypt that gas lines are only allowed to supply stoves and heaters for home use. This means that citizens who use gas lines connected to their place of residence to run on electric generators can face legal repercussions under criminal law. With regards to industrial consumers, Abdel-Badie added: "If it can be proven that a gas-powered electric generator was connected to the gas line, there will be harsh consequences for the factory." According to executive aide at EGAS Mohamed Abdelrahman, the sale of gas or butane-powered electric generators constitutes a crisis that is more dangerous for citizens than it is for the state. This is because connecting household gas lines to generators will expose those in its vicinity to great risk. EGAS regularly patrols gas connections in homes, and in the event that patrols find a generator connected to the gas lines, gas supply will be cut off from the offender who will subsequently be reported to legal authorities. A high-ranking official in the Ministry of Petroleum criticised the Customs Authority's decision to permit butane and gas-powered electric generators into the country during the gas shortage, which has been caused by the government's inability to pay for butane and gas. According to Abdelrahman, the government aims to provide natural gas to 800,000 residences by the end of the year. That is in addition to about 6m residences that already receive gas.
