Egypt announces new Mediterranean gas field discovery estimated at 200 billion cubic feet

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources revealed on Friday that drilling at the well located in the Taiba concession area had discovered a gas-bearing layer with a net thickness of approximately 15 metres. The discovery comes as Egypt seeks to increase domestic natural gas production following recent output declines that have led to greater import dependence.

Technical assessment ongoing

Technical and reservoir studies are still underway to determine the exact volumes that can be produced, assess possible daily production rates, and evaluate the commercial viability of the discovery. The ministry has not yet announced when production might begin.

Infrastructure connection planned

Egypt plans to connect the well to existing production facilities through a 22km pipeline linking to the Abu Madi - El Gamil pipeline. This connection will utilize available infrastructure to accelerate production start-up.

International partnerships

Italian company Eni operates the Taiba concession in partnership with Australian company Woodside, while Egyptian firm Petrobel conducted the drilling work on behalf of the partners. Cairo is relying on new discoveries and faster exploration to strengthen local supplies amid strong demand from electricity and industrial sectors.