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Arab Finance: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi inspected the drilling of the first development and production well at the West Mina gas field in the Northeast El Amriya area of the Mediterranean Sea, as per a statement by the ministry.
The field is scheduled to begin initial gas production by the end of this year, adding an estimated 160 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of natural gas and around 1,900 barrels of condensates.
This comes as part of Shell’s investments in Egypt and the ministry’s intensified program to boost exploration, development, and production activities.
Badawi conducted the inspection aboard the drilling vessel STENA ICEMAX, which recently arrived in Egypt to begin Shell’s four-well gas drilling program in the Mediterranean.
During the visit, the minister said the injection of new investments by Shell into gas exploration and development activities in the Mediterranean was marked by the launch of work at the West Mina field. This clearly reflects the positive results of the ministry’s incentive-based policies with investment partners.
He added that these investments represent a positive indicator toward achieving the ministry’s goals of increasing production, reducing the import bill, and securing gas supplies for the domestic market.
Badawi also said 2026 will witness the implementation of the largest gas well drilling program in the Mediterranean in cooperation with international companies.
Moreover, he noted that this year is also seeing record drilling operations across various production areas aimed at discovering new gas reservoirs to support Egypt’s medium-term production capacity and help meet local demand.
For her part, Dalia El Gabry, Vice President and Chair of Shell Egypt, said a new phase of Mediterranean drilling plans has begun this year to accelerate development of the West Mina field, alongside continued exploratory drilling to develop new gas resources.
Shell’s four-well program includes the West Mina 2 and West Mina 1 wells in the Northeast El Amriya area, where Shell operates with a 60% stake in partnership with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), which holds 40%.
The two wells will be tied back to existing production facilities in the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) area.
The program also includes drilling the exploratory Sirius well to assess a gas reservoir in shallower waters in Northeast El Amriya, followed by the drilling of the Velox well in the North Cleopatra area of the Herodotus Basin, aimed at opening new prospects for gas discoveries in the Mediterranean.
