Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi announced the country's largest-ever gas drilling programme in the Mediterranean for 2026 during an inspection of Shell's new offshore operations. The programme includes starting drilling in the West Meina field, with initial production expected by year's end.
During his visit to the STENA ICEMAX drillship, Minister Badawi monitored the start of drilling at the first production well in the West Meina field, located in the North East Amriya region. Initial production from the field is scheduled for the end of 2026, with expected daily output of about 160 million cubic feet of gas and 1,900 barrels of condensates.
Badawi stated that the work at West Meina reflects the success of the ministry's incentive policies, which encourage investment through credibility and mutual benefit. He added that these investments indicate progress in increasing production, reducing the national import bill, and securing gas supplies for the local market.
The minister noted that the current year features record drilling operations across various production areas to explore new reservoirs, aiming to strengthen Egypt's medium-term production capacity and meet domestic demand.
Dalia El Gabry, Chair of Shell Egypt, said the company has entered a new phase of its Mediterranean drilling plans for 2026. She explained that the strategy seeks to accelerate the development of the West Meina field while continuing exploratory drilling for new resources. El Gabry added that the return of strong foreign investment to the Egyptian petroleum sector demonstrates growing investor confidence in the ministry's modern strategy, which has improved the investment climate.
Shell's current four-well programme includes the West Meina 1 and West Meina 2 wells in North East Amriya. Shell operates the site with a 60% stake, while Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) holds the remaining 40%. The wells will be linked to existing production facilities in the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) area.
The programme also involves drilling the "Sirius" exploration well to evaluate a gas reservoir in shallower waters in North East Amriya, followed by the "Philox" well in the North Cleopatra area of the Herodotus Basin, aiming to open new horizons for gas discoveries in the Mediterranean.
The inspection tour was attended by Sayed Selim, Executive Managing Director of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), Mohamed Hassan, Head of the Central Administration for the General Secretariat at the Ministry, Mahmoud Nagi, Head of the Central Administration for Safety, Environment, and Climate and official spokesperson for the Ministry, and Mohamed Deghidy, head of Rashid Petroleum Company.