Work to repair the Arish pipeline that carries Egyptian natural gas to Israel and Jordan has not yet begun, according to Hassan al-Mahdy, chairman of the natural gas holding company, which is related to Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum. Al-Mahdy said while work has not begun, the necessary materials have been prepared. He said repairs will take about 10 days once they begin. It is not possible to estimate the total losses from the most recent explosion at the pipeline, he said, adding that the repairs will cost about $20 million. He said Israel has not contributed to the repairs because the explosion took place on Egyptian territory. Regarding the company's security measures, which failed to prevent the fourth explosion, al-Mahdy said the company has a number of security measures in place, including iron gates and barbed wire to protect the station itself. He added that it is planned to install cameras in each corner of the station, which will better enable officials to control the situation and prevent any potential terrorist attack. Al-Mahdi said the company coordinated with security authorities to protect the pipeline before resuming the gas flow. He also said the flow will not resume until all required security measures are in place to prevent future explosions. He denied any pressure from Jordan or Israel. The suspension of Egyptian gas to Israel and Jordan has had serious economic implications in those countries, notably the increase in electricity prices.
