Egypt announces new gas discovery in Nile Delta

Egypt announced Saturday a new natural gas discovery in the Nile Delta with estimated production of around 50 million cubic feet per day, adding to the country’s current output of about 4.2 billion cubic feet daily.

In a statement, the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry said the discovery was achieved following the successful drilling of the exploratory well “Nidoco N-2” in a concession area operated by the Italian Eni in partnership with the British BP.

The ministry said the well was drilled onshore using advanced directional drilling technologies, which helped reduce costs and improve operational efficiency.

It added that the proximity of the well to existing infrastructure, less than two kilometers from the nearest production facilities, will allow it to be quickly connected to the network and enter early production within weeks.

The West Abu Madi development area is operated by Eni in partnership with BP and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation through Petrobel, a joint venture between the Egyptian authority and Eni, the statement said.

According to the ministry, Egypt’s domestic consumption of natural gas stands at about 2.2 trillion cubic feet annually, averaging around 6 billion cubic feet per day.

Current production is estimated at 4.2 billion cubic feet per day, while domestic demand reaches about 6.2 billion cubic feet daily, rising to around 7.2 billion during the summer months.

Among Egypt’s major gas fields is the Zohr gas field, discovered in 2015 and considered the largest in the Mediterranean, contributing about 25% of the country’s gas output with reserves estimated at around 30 trillion cubic feet.

Production from Zohr began in December 2017 at 800 million cubic feet per day, later peaking at 3.2 billion cubic feet in 2022 before declining to 2.4 billion in 2023, 1.9 billion in 2024, and around 1.25 billion by mid-2025, according to official data.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul