Egypt commits $343mn to new gas drilling to support supply

The Egyptian government signs four exploration agreements for ten gas wells, allocating $343mn to limit the impact of the rapid decline in national production.

Share:

Subscribe for unlimited access to all energy sector news.

Over 150 multisector articles and analyses every week.

Your 1st year at 99 $*

then 199 $/year

*renews at 199$/year, cancel anytime before renewal.

Egypt has signed four new gas exploration agreements representing a total investment of $343mn. These contracts cover the drilling of ten wells in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta. The initiative is part of the national strategy to secure energy supply in the face of declining production. The state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) is coordinating these commitments with several international partners.

Foreign investments alongside EGAS

Shell will allocate $120mn for three offshore wells in the Merneith block. Eni, a key player in the Zohr field, will invest $100mn in three additional wells at East Port Said. Arcius Energy, a joint venture between British Petroleum (BP) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), will drill two wells in the North Damietta block with a budget of $109mn. Russian company Zarubezhneft will invest $14mn to drill four onshore wells at North El-Khatatba. These programmes reflect strong public involvement aimed at reviving production capacity.

A response to the decline at Zohr field

The Zohr gas field, which had ensured the country’s energy autonomy, is experiencing a decrease in extracted volumes. According to the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI), national production fell to 3.5bn cubic metres in May 2025, compared with more than 6bn per month in 2021. This drop forced Egypt to resort to imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with 40 to 60 cargoes negotiated for a cost of about $3bn.

A dynamic already launched in June

In June 2025, EGAS had already awarded six blocks, representing $245mn of investments for a minimum of 13 wells. These blocks included four offshore areas in the Mediterranean, one in the Nile Delta and one in North Sinai. The accumulation of these commitments illustrates an increasing mobilisation of public resources to support exploration and respond to declining production volumes.

The pace at which these new wells are drilled and brought into service will determine Egypt’s ability to restore stable production in the coming years.

U.S. regulators have approved two major milestones for Rio Grande LNG and Commonwealth LNG, clarifying their investment decision timelines and reinforcing the country’s role in expanding global liquefaction capacity.
Hokkaido Gas is adjusting its liquefied natural gas procurement strategy with a multi-year tender and a long-term agreement, leveraging Ishikari’s capacity and price references used in the Asian market. —
Korea Gas Corporation commits to 3.3 mtpa of US LNG from 2028 for ten years, complementing new contracts to cover expired volumes and diversify supply sources and price indexation.
Petrobangla plans to sign a memorandum with Saudi Aramco to secure liquefied natural gas deliveries under a formal agreement, following a similar deal recently concluded with the Sultanate of Oman.
CTCI strengthens its position in Taiwan with a new EPC contract for a regasification unit at the Kaohsiung LNG terminal, with a capacity of 1,600 tonnes per hour.
Exxon Mobil forecasts sustained growth in global natural gas demand by 2050, driven by industrial use and rising energy needs in developing economies.
Capstone Green Energy received a 5.8-megawatt order for its natural gas microturbines, to be deployed across multiple food production facilities in Mexico through regional distributor DTC Machinery.
Private firm Harvest Midstream has signed a $1 billion acquisition deal with MPLX for gas processing and transport infrastructure across three western US states.
Sempra Infrastructure and EQT Corporation have signed a 20-year liquefied natural gas purchase agreement, consolidating Phase 2 of the Port Arthur LNG project in Texas and strengthening the United States’ position in the global LNG market.
Subsea7 was selected to lead phase 3 of the Sakarya gas field, a strategic contract for Türkiye’s energy supply valued between $750mn and $1.25bn.
Tokyo protests against Chinese installations deemed unilateral in a disputed maritime zone, despite a bilateral agreement stalled since 2010.
Bp has awarded Baker Hughes a long-term service agreement for the Tangguh liquefied natural gas plant, covering spare parts, maintenance and technical support for its turbomachinery equipment.
Chinese group Sinopec has launched a large-scale seismic imaging campaign across 3,000 km² in Mexico using nodal technology from Sercel, owned by Viridien, delivered in August to map areas with complex terrain.
CNOOC Limited has signed two production sharing contracts with SKK Migas to explore the Gaea and Gaea II blocks in West Papua, alongside EnQuest and Agra.
Australian group Macquarie partners with AMIGO LNG for an annual supply of 0.6 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas over fifteen years, with operations expected to start in 2028 from the Guaymas terminal in Mexico.
A consortium led by ONEOK is developing a 450-mile pipeline to transport up to 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas per day from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast.
AMIGO LNG has awarded Drydocks World a major EPC contract to build the world’s largest floating LNG liquefaction terminal, aimed at strengthening exports to Asia and Latin America.
The Alberta Utilities Commission approves the Need Assessment Application for the Yellowhead Pipeline, marking a key step for Canadian Utilities, a subsidiary of ATCO. The project foresees significant economic benefits for the province.
Nigeria LNG signs major deals with oil groups to ensure gas supply to its liquefaction infrastructure over two decades.
The European Union and Washington have finalized an agreement setting $750 billion in U.S. gas, oil and nuclear purchases, complemented by $600 billion in European investments in the United States by 2028.

Log in to read this article

You'll also have access to a selection of our best content.

or

Go unlimited with our annual offer: $99 for the 1styear year, then $ 199/year.