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

Egypt has announced a new natural gas discovery in the Mediterranean Sea, with early estimates putting the reservoir of the exploratory well "Nasim-1X" at around 200 billion cubic feet. The find matters for Cairo, which hopes it will support domestic gas production and reduce dependence on imports.

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said on Friday that drilling and appraisal work in the Taiba concession area had revealed a gas-bearing layer about 15 metres thick in net terms, with distinct geological and petrophysical characteristics.

Producible volumes still unclear

Technical and reservoir studies are continuing. They are meant to establish how much gas can be produced, what daily output might be, and whether the discovery is commercially viable. No start date for production has been announced.

Pipeline to speed up development

Egypt plans to tie the well into existing production facilities through a pipeline of roughly 22 kilometres, linking it to the Abu Madi–El Gamil pipeline. The aim is to use available infrastructure and shorten the time before production begins.

Italy's Eni operates the Taiba concession in partnership with Australia's Woodside, while Egyptian firm Petrobel carried out the drilling on behalf of the partners.

The ministry credited the positive results to higher investment and exploration activity, an improved investment climate, and progress in settling overdue payments owed to foreign companies in the energy sector.

Egypt is trying to raise domestic gas output after a drop in production in recent years increased its dependence on imports. Cairo is counting on new discoveries and faster exploration to strengthen local supply, as demand for gas from the power and industrial sectors remains strong.