CAIRO, April 23, 2018 (MENA) - Petroleum Minister Tarek el Molla said that the European Union allocated 69 million euros to supply natural gas to 500,000 families in Egypt. This was announced at a conference on a project to connect more Egyptian households in most needy areas to the natural gas grid. The project is funded by the EU, the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD), in cooperation with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS). The conference is attended by EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete, Country Director for AFD's Egypt office Stéphanie Lanfranchi and Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali. In a statement on Monday, the minister said the petroleum sector is implementing a strategy to increase household access to a grid-connected natural-gas supply. Since 1980, nearly 8.6 million housing units were connected to the natural gas grid, Molla said. He further stressed the necessity of partnership and working with international donor institutions in implementing the household natural gas connection project in Egypt.