Egypt: Gas discovery spurs drilling in the Mediterranean, Nile Delta - ESI AFRICA

August 30, 2023

Yunus Kemp

Egypt plans to drill 45 natural exploratory gas wells in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta with $1.9 billion in investments until mid-2025.

This follows the discovery, announced in January, in the Nargis Offshore Area Concession which added reserves of 2.5 trillion cubic feet. The discovery is located in the Eastern Mediterranean off the Egyptian coast.

The Narges 1 well was drilled to a depth of 309 metres and has an estimated volume of reserves amounting to 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, the Egyptian government said.

“This has contributed to the interest of a number of international companies to develop the field and work on more explorations the government said.

The discovery of the new gas field comes at a time when Egypt is seeking to increase its gas reserves and exports for which demand has grown worldwide.

Egypt: BP to Bring Raven Project Online by 2020 End - OFFSHORE ENGINEER

February 5, 2020

BP's phase three of the $12 billion West Nile Delta project offshore Egypt will come online by the end of this year, nearly 12 months behind the earlier scheduled deadline, the company said in a conference call this week.

The third phase includes the development of the Raven field, located in the offshore area encompassing five gas fields across the North Alexandria and West Mediterranean Deepwater offshore concession blocks which BP is developing in phases.

“The Raven project in Egypt is now expected to come on stream around the end of 2020,” said BP during the quarterly results call. To remind, BP had in February 2019 said it would bring Raven online by the end of 2019.

Egypt- BP invests $2.7bn to develop North Alexandria's Giza and Fayoum gas fields - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

OCT/30/2019 8:10:12 PM

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) BP has invested $2.7bn to implement the second phase of the North Alexandria's Giza and Fayoum gas fields to produce about 680m cubic feet of gas per day (scf/day) during the last fiscal year.

A source at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) told Daily News Egypt that BP has started the implementation of the third phase of the Raven gas project to bring its total production output to 1.5bn scf/day early 2020.

He explained that the third and final phase of the project involves connecting 850m scf/day from the Raven field in the deep water in the Mediterranean Sea, with an average production rate of 350m scf/day.

A gas processing plant, which will receive the output of Raven field, is under construction, with a capacity of 900m scf/day, he said.

The source pointed out that the natural gas produced from the Raven field has special specifications different from the previous two stages of Libra, Torres, Giza, and Fayoum fields, and the new treatment plant is being built next to Rashid treatment plant.

Wintershall DEA to begin natgas production at Raven field next month - ENTERPRISE

Wednesday, 21 August 2019

Wintershall DEA will begin natural gas production from its Raven field in September, unnamed sources told Amwal Al Ghad. 

The field is expected to produce up to 900 mcf/d of natural gas, and between 20k to 25k bbl/d of condensates.

SDX, BP fail to reach agreement on Egypt assets - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 21 October 2018

BP talks to sell Egypt assets to SDX fail. SDX Energy has “terminated” talks to acquire BP’s Egypt assets after failing to reach an agreement, the company said in a statement on Thursday (pdf). SDX gave no color on why the talks broke down. SDX Energy announced last month that it was in open talks with BP to acquire “a significant package of [its] assets in Egypt.” It was not not immediately clear which assets SDX hoped to acquire, but the company said the transaction would take the form of a reverse takeover, allowing SDX entry to the London Stock Exchange’s main market. BP had been said to be shopping for buyers since at least March as part of a plan to sell USD 2-3 bn’s worth of maturing assets this year.

BP isn’t exiting Egypt: The global oil major plans to invest USD 2 bn in Egypt next year, BP North Africa Regional President Hesham Mekawi told Al Shorouk in an interview last month. Among the assets in which it is investing is its Raven field, which is part of its West Nile concessions in Fayoum and Giza. The Raven gas field is expected to come online in 2H2019, a source from the Oil Ministry official told Youm7 on Thursday. Production is expected to reach 350 mcf/d of gas.

Production from Shell’s Burullus gas fields rises to 526 mmcf/d in past year - ENERGY EGYPT

September 5, 2017

Production from Shell’s Burullus concession increased to 526 mmcf/d and over 6,000 bbl of condensates last year, Chairman of Shell JVs Rashpetco and Burullus Hisham Al Attar said, according to a statement from the Oil Ministry. Al Attar says that design and manufacturing works have been contracted on the West Delta Deep Marine Phase 9b project, but a contractor is yet to be picked. Rashpetco is set to drill two new exploration wells in 1Q2018, he adds, without specifying their location.

Chairman of Rashid Petroleum Company (Rashpetco) Hisham Al-Attar said that Burullus fields’ natural gas output rose to 526 million square feet per day and more than 6,000 barrels of condensates.

Can Egypt’s Natural Gas Production Be Doubled By 2020? - HART ENERGY / STRATAS ADVISORS

Wednesday, July 26, 2017 - 12:18pm

This excerpt is from a report that is available to subscribers of Stratas Advisors’ Global Hydrocarbon Supply and Global Upstream Project Analytics services.

Egypt is the third largest natural gas producer in Africa and holds about 65 Tcf of proved natural gas reserves, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2017. But due to Egypt’s government paying low gas prices to foreign operators, it was getting more difficult to attract investments on developing new gas projects. Therefore, natural gas production had been under rapid decline from 5.9 Bcf/d in 2011 to 4.1 Bcf/d in 2016.

With significant natural gas reserves in the country, Egypt still needs to import natural gas from neighboring countries to satisfy domestic consumption, so Egypt’s government has agreed to pay a higher price to the foreign operators and encourage them to develop new natural gas discoveries, especially fields in the deepwater Mediterranean Sea and Nile Delta.

El Molla confirms acceleration of West Nile Delta Phase 2 - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE / AL MASRY AL YOUM

June 14, 2017

The Petroleum Ministry is committed to start production from phase two of BP’s West Nile Delta (WND) concession ahead of the 2019 scheduled date, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said, according to Al Masry Al Youm.

BP wants to bring the development’s Fayoum and Giza fields on stream end of 2018, with a daily production of 400 mcf, Regional President for North Africa Hesham Mekawi said. Production at Raven field should begin in 2019 at 350 mcf/d, he added. BP’s Taurus and Libra fields in the WND’s phase one had come onstream last month, eight months ahead of schedule.

Subsea 7 engineering teams start on Atoll project offshore Egypt - OFFSHORE MAGAZINE

March/02/2017
Offshore staff

LUXEMBOURG – Subsea 7 says the last stage of the offshore campaign is under way in the Egyptian sector of the Mediterranean Sea for Phase One of the West Nile Delta project on the Taurus and Libra fields.

Fabrication has started for Phase Two on the Giza, Fayoum, and Raven fields. The company’s work on the East Nile Delta project is substantially completed and its engineering teams have mobilized for the newly awarded Atoll project.

Offshore Brazil, the last of the company’s newbuild Brazilian PLSVs, Seven Cruzeiro, started a long-term contract in January.

In the UK North Sea, preparations have continued for installation of pipeline bundles for the Culzean, Callater, and Western Isles projects.

Subsea 7 is cautiously optimistic about future prospects. It says the oil and gas market has achieved a degree of stability in recent months and there are indications that project sanctions will increase.

BP to produce 600 mcf/d from North Alexandria concession by June - ENTERPRISE / AL BORSA

Sunday, 18 December 2016

BP expects to begin producing 600 mcf/d of natural gas from its North Alexandria offshore concession by June, Al Borsa reported. 

The Fayoum and Giza fields are expected to come on stream in 1Q2019 and will produce at 400 mcf/d, BP’s ‎North Africa Regional President Hisham Mekawi said. 

He added that the Raven field should also begin producing around 350 mfc/d by 3Q2019.

Egypt- BP produces 650m cubic feet from Taurus and Libra fields - MENAFN / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

17/10/2016 

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) BP signed an agreement with Royal Dutch Shell to process 650m cubic feet of gas, produced from its North Alexandria project, at Shell's Borollos station for 0.3 per million feet.

A senior source in the petroleum sector told Daily News Egypt that the process of linking the North Alexandria project to the station in Borollos will begin in the coming period.

He noted that Borollos gas treatment plant has an estimated capacity of about 1.1bn cubic feet per day. The station currently processes 650m cubic feet per day.

The North Alexandria project involves the development of five fields, starting with Taurus and Libra fields by linking them to the onshore processing facilities in Borollos in the third quarter of 2017. The company has completed 52% of operations in Taurus and Libra fields.

BP acquires Shell’s Rosetta gas plant for $128 m - ARAB FINANCE / DAILY NEWS EGYPT

Tuesday 09/27/2016 12:29:00 PM

Cairo: BP acquired Shell’s Rosetta gas treatment plant in Rashid for $128m and received it in April. The plant will be prepared to be linked to the production of Giza and Fayoum gas fields in northern Alexandria.

A senior source in the petroleum sector told Daily News Egypt that the maximum capacity of the Rosetta plant amounts to 425m cubic feet of gas per day, adding that 420m cubic feet produced from Giza and Fayoum fields will be linked to the station in 2019.

He added that Royal Dutch Shell has transferred production of the Rosetta field in the Rashid concession area to the Borollos plant, after selling the Rosetta plant to BP.

GASCO to hire domestic companies for transporting natural gas from Raven field to Western Desert Gas Complex - ENERGY EGYPT / ENTERPRISE PRESS

August 2, 2016

The Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO) could potentially hire domestic energy companies such as Enppi and Petrojet to provide technical support as well as engineering and design services to transport gas from the Raven field in the North Alexandria Concession to the Western Desert Gas Complex, an unnamed source told Al Mal.

Natural gas would be transported from the BP-operated field at a rate ranging between 400 and 450 mcf/d, with the project expected to be completed between two and three years. Last week, it was reported that GASCO is also studying investing USD 500 mn in the second phase of the project to increase the production of the ethane-propane mix from the complex.

Egypt to develop 5 new Oil and Gas fields from Q3 of 2017 to 2019 - ECOFIN AGENCY

Monday, 27 June 2016 - 07:32

(Ecofin Agency) - The Government of Egypt has put measures in place to commence the development of five new oil and gas fields from Q3 of 2017 till 2019.

The five fields are Taurus, Libra, Giza, Fayoum, and Raven, an official source revealed.

According to this source, the Q3 of 2017 will also see BP restarting all the production and developmental activities in the North Alexandria oil field, which has been stagnant since 2011 as a result of Egypt’s political and economic situations.

Subsea 7 awarded contract offshore Egypt - SUBSEA 7

Luxembourg - 26 February, 2016 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) announced today the award of a major(1) contract by BP, and partner DEA (Deutsche Erdoel AG), for the development of the Giza, Fayoum and Raven subsea fields offshore Alexandria, Egypt.

This is the second phase of the West Nile Delta project, where the field development will be at depths of up to approximately 800 metres.

The contract scope includes engineering, procurement, installation and pre-commissioning of the subsea infrastructure from twelve wells, with 80 kilometres of umbilicals and 220 kilometres of pipelines. It also includes the installation of the export lines from the subsea location to the Idku terminal.

Engineering and project management work will commence immediately and will be undertaken at Subsea 7's Global Projects Centre in London. Offshore installation is scheduled to commence in two stages.