Shell announces new gas discovery in Egypt’s Mediterranean Sea

CAIRO - 21 November 2023: Shell Egypt announced Tuesday the success of completing the drilling of the first well in its three-well exploration campaign, Mina West, located in the North East El-Amriya block, in the Mediterranean Sea.

It revealed in a statement that drilling activities took place at a water depth of around 250 meters below sea level in the offshore Nile Delta, with primary data confirming the presence of gas-bearing reservoir. Further evaluation of the acquired data is required to determine the size and recoverable potential of the discovery.

Shell has contracted the Stena Drilling for Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) – Stena Forth rig – to carry out the drilling campaign, according to the statement.

Khaled Kacem, Vice President and Country Chair of Shell Egypt, said: “This discovery is an important step forward for Shell Egypt bolstering our growth aspirations and ongoing commitment as a key partner in Egypt’s energy landscape. Successful delivery of our current exploration campaign is part of Shell Egypt’s growth strategy. Shell, together with its partners, will continue to work towards safely and efficiently reaching the development phase of the block.”

In September 2023, Shell signed a Farm Out Agreement (FOA) with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) under which KUFPEC acquired a 40 percent stake in North East El-Amriya block, with Shell holding the remaining 60 percent stake, of the partner’s share with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).