CAIRO/ISTANBUL

Egypt announced on Saturday a new natural gas discovery in the Western Desert.

In a statement, the Ministry of Petroleum said the new gas find was made in the Badr-15 area of the Western Desert with a production capacity of 16 million cubic feet of gas and 750 barrels of condensate per day.

The ministry said around 15 billion cubic feet of gas are expected to be added to Egypt’s reserves from the new field.

It noted that these results come as part of investment incentive measures implemented by the ministry to “gradually increase production and reduce imports.”

On Friday, Egyptian Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi told the country’s official news agency that the ministry aims to raise gas production to reach 6.4 and 6.6 billion cubic feet per day over the next five years, supported by major investments from international companies.

He explained that 2026 will witness the drilling of 14 exploratory wells in the Mediterranean Sea, with targeted reserves of about 12 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the same source.

The minister added that domestic production of gas and petroleum had declined since 2021 due to reduced investment, but efforts to improve the investment climate have halted the decline and restored growth.