Egypt makes five oil and gas discoveries

Egypt has announced a series of oil and gas discoveries as the North African nation continues to face a rising bill for energy imports.

Five new exploratory wells are expected to add around 47 million cubic feet of natural gas and 4,300 barrels of crude oil and condensates to the country’s daily production, the petroleum ministry said in a statement.

The findings were made by Khalda Petroleum Company, the Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) and Disouq Petroleum Company in their respective concession areas.

Khalda Petroleum made three discoveries, with combined output of 2,550 barrels per day (bpd) of crude and condensate and 29 million cubic feet per day of gas.

A Disouq and Harbour Energy venture confirmed a significant gas find in the Abu Madi reservoir in the Nile Delta.

State-owned EGPC found new reserves in the western and eastern deserts, adding more than 1,250 bpd of oil and condensates and 8 million cubic feet per day of gas.

Cairo launched a seismic survey last month to explore for oil and gas in sites that form nearly 10 percent of the country’s area.

The country plans to drill 101 oil and gas wells in 2026 as part of a $5.7 billion investment plan approved by the government in 2025 to “spud” (start drilling) 480 wells over the next five years.

Further reading:

• Egypt launches its largest hydrocarbon exploration programme
• Egypt aims to repay foreign oil company dues
• UK’s Terra to explore for oil and gas in Egypt

Abu Dhabi-listed Dana Gas has confirmed a “significant” gas discovery onshore Nile Delta.

Egypt’s proven gas deposits are estimated at 2.2 trillion cubic metres, the sixth-largest in the Arab world after those of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Algeria and Iraq, according to the Kuwaiti-based Arab Energy Organization.

Its current natural gas production is estimated at 4.2 billion cubic feet per day, while domestic demand is 6.2 billion cubic feet per day, forcing the country to import LNG to bridge the supply-demand gap.

Cairo’s import bill for LNG and petroleum products rose 60 percent year on year to $20 billion in November 2025, Bloomberg data shows.