Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) is targeting about 330mn cubic feet per day of additional domestic gas production before the end of 2026, as Egypt accelerates upstream investment following the settlement of arrears owed to international energy partners.
About 250mn cf/d is expected from the Zohr and West Mina fields in the Mediterranean before year-end, while another 80mn cf/d is targeted from the Meleiha fields in the Western Desert by the end of September following completion of the second phase of its gas-processing facilities, EGAS said at its annual general assembly.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi said clearing partner arrears had been necessary to restore investor confidence and revive exploration, drilling and field-development spending. Egypt completed settlement of the arrears in June after they had reached about $6.1bn in mid-2024.
EGAS Managing Director Sayed Selim said the company plans to drill 16 exploration wells — seven offshore and nine onshore — during the current fiscal year, targeting prospective gas resources of about 6tn cubic feet.
The programme follows nine discoveries during FY 2025/26, including eight gas discoveries and one oil discovery, which EGAS estimates added about 2.8tn cubic feet of gas resources. The company also completed nine field-development projects and connected 28 wells to production through investments of $1.12bn.
West Mina alone is targeted to add about 160mn cf/d during the fourth quarter, according to earlier Petroleum Ministry guidance.
The additions could help curb Egypt’s growing import requirement but do not necessarily translate into an equivalent rise in national output as mature fields continue to decline. Gas production averaged below 4.4bn cf/d in FY2025/26 and is projected at about 4.2bn cf/d this fiscal year, while imports are estimated to rise to 1.081tn cubic feet, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.
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