Cairo - Mubasher: Egypt will cut liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by three cargos per month after putting supergiant Zohr gas field on the production line, petroleum minister Tarek El Molla told local channel DMC.

This brings the North African nation's LNG imports down to five cargos per month, which in return saves about $60 million, El Molla added.

The Arab world's most populous country will achieve natural gas self-sufficiency by the end of 2018, the oil minister said, noting that Atoll gas field began the pilot production.

Atoll is scheduled to pump around 300 million cubic feet (mcf) of gas per day.

Moreover, Zohr gas field may come onstream within the coming 24 hours, after finalzing the trial production procedures, El Molla told Alhayah TV.

By June 2018, Zohr will produce billion cubic feet of gas per day, El Molla added.