CAIRO, May 7, 2018 (News Wires) - A pipeline connecting Cyprus' Aphrodite gas field to Egypt's liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities will cost between $800 million and $1 billion, Egyptian petroleum minister Tarek El Molla said on Monday. Egypt has rapidly increased its production of natural gas and is hoping to become a hub for exporting to Europe after making a series of big discoveries in recent years. Molla, speaking at a joint news conference with Cyprus energy minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, said that Cypriot gas would be used in part for domestic consumption and in part for export. Molla said that domestic gas production has increased to 5.7 billion cubic feet per day as a result of new production coming online, up from 5.5 billion in February. Lakkotrypis said a final agreement on the pipeline would be signed as quickly as possible but did not specify when.