Eni secures five oil and gas exploration licences in Egypt - OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

January 11, 2022

The licences are located in the Western Desert, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and the Gulf of Suez.

Italian oil and gas company Eni has received five new exploration licences from the Egyptian government, including four as operator.

The licences, located offshore and onshore, were awarded as part of the Egypt International Bid Round for Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation, launched in 2021 by the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Covering a total acreage of approximately 8,410km², the licences include Block EGY-MED-E5 and Block EGY-MED-E6 in the Mediterranean Sea, Block EGY-GOS-13 in the Gulf of Suez, and Blocks Egy-WD- 7 and EGY-WD-9 in the Western Desert.

In a statement, Eni said: “The licences are placed within prolific basins with proved petroleum systems able to generate liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, and can also rely on nearby existing producing and processing facilities and on a demanding market that will allow a quick valorisation of the potential exploration discoveries.”

The results are in line with the Italian firm’s strategy to continue to explore and produce gas in Egypt to sustain the domestic market.

Winners for Egyptian oil and gas exploration round announced - ZAWYA

14 FEBRUARY, 2019Marwa Abo Almajd

Shell, ExxonMobil, BP, Petronas and IEOC among the firms to secure exploration rights in 12 concessions

The head of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation announced the winners of 12 new concessions at an event in Cairo on Tuesday, stating that $750 million to $800 million worth of investments would be made.

The General Petroleum Company (GPC) won a $5 million tender to explore in the West Amer sector, allowing it to drill 10 new wells, involving a total investment of $20 million.

Neptune Energy Egypt won an $11 million concession for the drilling of three wells and a financial commitment of $ 34.5 million. Merlon Petroleum won a $3.2 million tender to drill eight wells and an investment of $36 million.

Shell Egypt won three separate concessions. The first is a $27 million tender in the West Fayoum field, involving the drilling of six wells, the second is a $23 million tender to dig five wells south-east of Horus and the third is a $1 million tender to drill three wells in South Abu Sinan. Combined, the tenders involve a capital commitment to invest $57 million.

EGAS offers 16 Mediterranean & Nile Delta blocks in oil & gas bid round - ENTERPRISE

May 22, 2018

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) launched the 2018 bid round for oil & gas exploration on 16 concession areas: 13 blocks in the Mediterranean Sea and three concessions in the onshore Nile Delta region.

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum announced in an Al Ahram newspaper advertisement that the deadline for receiving bids for the EGAS tender will be on October 1, 2018

EGPC launches 2018 oil & gas exploration bid round for 11 blocks - ENTERPRISE

May 22, 2018

The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) launched the 2018 bid round for oil & gas exploration on 11 blocks: Five in the Western Desert, two in the onshore Nile Delta region, one in the Eastern Desert, and three in the Gulf of Suez (both onshore & offshore).

The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum announced in an Al Ahram newspaper advertisement that the deadline for receiving bids for the EGPC tender will be on October 8, 2018.

Egypt Sets Deadlines For Oil And Gas Exploration Bids - RIGZONE / REUTERS

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Reporting by Ehab Farouk, writing by Sami Aboudi; editing by Jason Neely

CAIRO, May 22 (Reuters) - Egypt has set October 1 and October 8 deadlines for two major international tenders for oil and gas exploration spanning 27 onshore and offshore blocks, the oil ministry said on Tuesday.

Bids for 11 blocs offered by the Egyptian General Petroleum Corp (EPGC) must be submitted by October 1, the ministry said in an advertisement published in the state-run al-Ahram newspaper.

Companies interested in 16 concession areas offered under state-buyer EGAS must submit their bids by October 8, it said.

The EPGC tenders include five blocks in the Western Desert, two in the Nile Valley, three in the Gulf of Suez and one in the Eastern Desert.

The EGAS tender, described by the ministry as the largest in the company's history, includes 13 offshore Mediterranean blocks and 3 in the Nile Delta.

Egypt to launch 2 international bid rounds for oil and gas exploration in 2018 - statement - REUTERS

MAY 21, 2018 / 10:42 AM
Reporting by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Toby Chopra

CAIRO, May 21 (Reuters) - Egypt will launch two international bid rounds for oil and gas exploration in 2018, the petroleum ministry said in a statement on Monday.

One bid round will cover 16 sectors under the state-buyer EGAS, while the other will cover 11 sectors under the Egyptian General Petroleum Corp (EGPC), the statement said.

The EGAS bid round is set to be the largest since its founding in 2001. 

Egypt, Cyprus to sign deal to connect Aphrodite gas field with Egypt - REUTERS

APRIL 29, 2018 / 5:43 PM
Reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Patrick Werr; writing by Arwa Gaballa; editing by Jason Neely

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt aims to sign an agreement with Cyprus to connect the island’s Aphrodite gas field with Egypt, Egypt’s oil minister said on Sunday.

Tarek El Molla, speaking at an American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt event in Cairo, also said the country was preparing a bid round for unexplored offshore areas west of the Nile Delta to the Libyan border.

“We intend to have a bid round in this area shortly,” Molla said.

Egypt may also invite companies to bid for oil and gas exploration in the Red Sea before year-end, he said.

EGAS to hold exploration tender for nine blocks by June - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 18 February 2018

EGAS to hold exploration tender for nine blocks by June: EGAS plans to hold an international exploration tender for nine blocks “before the end of 1H2018,” EGAS Vice Chairman for Agreements and Exploration Ahmed Salah Abdel Wahed said on Thursday, Youm7 reports. The tender includes six offshore and three onshore blocks. Though he did not specify where these blocks will be, the offshore ones are expected to include areas in the Mediterranean as EGAS has put a plan to issue tenders for natural gas exploration annually, with a focus on the Mediterranean. Last week, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla said that the ministry plans to float tenders in the West Mediterranean once seismic mapping of the area is complete and a marketing strategy for the field has been developed. He added that the Red Sea and South Egypt areas will also see tenders — for the first time — once geological data has been collected.

Will the impact of the early launch of the Atoll gas field be minimal? Analysts speaking to chemical industry news firm ICIS appear to think so, adding that LNG imports are likely to continue to the end of the year. “The Atoll field is a reasonably significant addition to the trend of growing domestic gas production in Egypt, but on its own it would only have a limited impact,” said Andy Flower, an independent LNG consultant. BP had announced the launch of the Atoll gas field seven months early last week.

EGAS to issue bid round in 1H2018 - ENTERPRISE

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

EGAS is planning on having a bid round for oil and gas exploration in east Mediterranean and onshore Delta blocks in 1H2018, Chairman Osama El Bakly said, according to Al Masry Al Youm. 

EGAS will also move ahead with its seismic mapping of blocks in west Mediterranean before setting them up for a bid round.

EGAS to issue new oil and gas exploration tenders in 2018 - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 9 October 2017

EGAS plans to issue new oil and gas exploration tenders in 2018, an unnamed company official tells Al Shorouk.  

We had said last month that EGAS was planning to issue global tenders for the West Mediterranean concession once Norwegian firm PGS releases the results of its seismic survey for the area before the end of FY2017-18.

Learn more about EGAS.

Egypt to open new areas in Red Sea for oil, gas exploration - BUSINESS STANDARD

Cairo July 14, 2017, 04:52 IST
IANS

Egyptian Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Mulla said on Thursday that new areas in the Red Sea will be open for bidding for exploration as part of Egypt's effort to expand oil, gas production.

Mulla did not disclose the exact date for the bidding. He told a news conference that the bidding comes after the recent approval of the Egyptian-Saudi maritime border demarcation deal, in which Egypt agrees to transfer two Red Sea islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, Xinhua reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Mulla and Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail held a meeting to discuss a number of issues, including the latest deals and bids that aim to increase the country's crude oil and natural gas production, the official news agency MENA reported.

Eni, BP pouring more investment into Egypt than anywhere else - WORLD OIL

2/15/2017
Salma El Wardany, Sam Wilkin, Tamim Elyan

CAIRO (Bloomberg) -- Eni SpA will start producing from the giant Zohr natural gas field off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast by the end of 2017 and plans to invest $10 billion in the North African country over the next five years, CEO Claudio Descalzi said. Production plans for Zohr are on schedule, and Egypt will be Eni’s top country for investment in the next two years, Descalzi said at a conference in Cairo. 

BP Plc, which bought a 10% stake in Zohr from Eni last year, invested more in Egypt in 2016 than in any other country and will do so again this year, the company’s CEO Bob Dudley said at the same event.

Italy's Edison to explore gas and oil in Egypt with $86mln - AMWAL AL GHAD

Thursday, 05 January 2017 16:09
Mahmuod Shaaban

Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) signed a new oil agreement with Italy's Edison to explore and produce oil and natural gas in North East Haby area in the Mediterranean Sea.

The investments of the agreement are estimated at more than US$86 million and a signature bonus of US$1.5 million , to drill two exploration wells.

The agreement was signed by Egypt's Oil Minister Tarek El-Molla and Mohamed El Masry -EGAS Chairman- and Maurizio Coratella, Vice President for Edison’s E&P activities for Egypt and the Middle East in the attendance of officials at the Egyptian ministry.

The President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meets Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi - ENI

04/01/2017 18:39

Cairo (Egypt), January 4, 2017 - The President of the Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Eni’s Chief Executive Officer, Claudio Descalzi, met today in Cairo.

The meeting was an opportunity to review the extensive activity performed by Eni in Egypt, with a total investment in the country in 2016 of $ 2.7 bn.

During the meeting, Mr Descalzi reviewed with President el-Sisi the ongoing development activities of the Zohr field. The ultra-fast track project is progressing in line with the expectations, and the production startup is confirmed by end of 2017.

Egypt accepts six bids for oil and gas exploration - REUTERS

Fri Dec 2, 2016 | 9:16am ESTReporting by Ehab Farouk; writing by Amina Ismail; editing by Susan Thomas

Egypt has accepted six bids for oil and gas exploration worth a total investment of up to $200 million, the Ministry of Petroleum said on Friday.

In May, the General Authority for Petroleum announced an international tender for 11 oil and natural gas blocks in the Western Desert and Gulf of Suez as Egypt looks to boost oil and gas production to meet growing energy demand.

Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Apache Corp and Apex International Energy are among the companies involved, the ministry said in a statement.

It said BP would invest at least $46 million, Apache at least $60.6 million and Shell at least $35.5 million.

Apex International Energy awarded first blocks in Egypt - APEX INTERNATIONAL ENERGY

December 2, 2016
Minimum investment in two concessions of $27.4 million in first exploration phase
Cairo, Egypt and Houston, Texas (December 2, 2016)— Apex International Energy, an independent oil and gas exploration and production company focused on Egypt, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded Blocks 8 and 9 by the Egyptian General Petroleum Company (EGPC) from their 2016 Bid Round.

Block 8 and 9 are both located within the prolific Abu Gharadig Basin in Egypt’s Western Desert and cover 6,714 square kilometers (2,592 square miles or 1.7 million acres) in total.
Specific details are below:

Egypt chases own energy sources as government struggle to meet demand - REUTERS

Sun Oct 23, 2016 | 10:43am EDTWriting by Eric Knecht, Editing by Lin Noueihed/Ruth Pitchford

By Ehab Farouk | CAIRO

Egypt will boost production of natural gas to 5 billion cubic feet per day in the 2017-2018 fiscal year as the giant Zohr field comes online, but will still also ramp up gas imports to feed a spike in consumption, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla said.

Once an energy exporter, Egypt has turned into a net importer in recent years, squeezed by declining production and increasing consumption. The shortfall and squeezed finances have forced the government to ration gas supplies to industry, with some plants unable to operate at full capacity as a result.

Egypt's Oil Ministry is racing to reverse that trend, speeding up the development of major gas discoveries with a stated goal of achieving energy self-sufficiency by 2020-21.

Four companies expressed interest in exploration blocks tendered by EGPC - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE PRESS

August 3, 2016

Four companies have expressed interest in the 11 E&P projects in the Gulf of Suez and the Western Desert tendered by EGPC earlier this year, including US firms Apache Crop, Eos Petro, Greece’s Aegean Oil, and a Chilean company, sources at EGPC told Al Mal.

The authority has not received bids from any of the companies, the source added, despite the tender being issued two months ago, with a deadline at the end of August. Meanwhile, Eos Petro regional manager Yousry Hassan and Petrosilah Chairman Taher Abdel Rehim both said their companies wait until the last minute to submit bids in fear of the details being leaked.

Egypt launches international bid round for 11 oil exploration blocks in the Western Desert and Gulf of Suez - ENERGY EGYPT / AHRAM ONLINE

 

May 12, 2016

Egypt launched international bids for oil exploration in 11 blocks in the Western Desert and the Gulf of Suez, the petroleum ministry announced in a press release on Thursday.

Five blocks will be offered in the Gulf of Suez, North-East of October, North-East of Al Hamd, North-East of Ramadan, East Badri, North maritime Esran, while the remaining six blocks will be offered in the Western Desert: North-West Razak, South-East Maleeha, North Um Baraka, South Allam Al Shaweesh, West Badr Eddin and South-East Siwa.

Arrears owed by the government to oil firms stood at $3.2 billion at the end of March, Reuters reported earlier in April.

Egypt became a net importer of natural gas in the past few years, having previously been a net exporter, on the back of rising consumption and falling production.

Talk of Egypt gas deal merely ‘lip service’ - CYPRUS MAIL

May 10, 2016

With oil and gas prices suppressed for the foreseeable future and with Egypt – touted as the premier market for Cypriot natural gas – set to ramp up its own energy production in the near term, Cyprus needs to fast rethink its whole gas export policy, an energy analyst has told the Cyprus Mail.

“If we’re serious about selling our gas, then we have to look at other areas,” said Charles Ellinas, commenting on latest developments in Egypt.

The neighbouring country is poised to become energy self-sufficient over the next few years as multiple gas projects there come on stream.

Recently Egypt renegotiated higher gas prices, of up to $5.88 per mmbtu (million British thermal units), prompting gas companies to fast-track project development.
Ellinas cited a presentation given last week by Egyptian Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston.