WEPCO to add 2 new drilling wells to production line for USD 12 mn - ENTERPRISE

Thursday, 16 July 2020

The Western Desert Operating Petroleum Co. (WEPCO) will add two new drilling wells to its production line which includes the Badr-1 and EDC 9 natural gas wells at a cost of USD 12 mn, Chairman Ibrahim Masoud announced during a tour of the site on Monday, Youm7 reports. 

The report did not include a time frame for drilling the new wells.

Damietta liquefaction plant to reopen in 3Q2019? - ENTERPRISE

Wednesday, 28 August 2019

Deja vu: Damietta LNG plant to reopen in 3Q2019? The Damietta liquefaction plant will reopen by the end of 3Q2019 after being offline for the past six years, an unnamed oil industry source tells Youm7. The facility, which produces around 5 mn tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year when operational, has been closed amid a long-running dispute between the Egyptian government and operator Union Fenosa Gas (UFG).

We’ve heard this one before: An oil ministry source said back in February that the plant would reopen in April following an agreement with UFG. This was proved wrong just two days later when UFG publicly denied reaching a settlement. Then last month Eni (a joint partner in UFG with Union Fenosa) said that the facility should open “soon this year”, and another source claimed that the facility would be operating at full capacity by 4Q2019. For the latest claim to be realistic, there needs to be a resolution to the five-year UFG dispute within the next four weeks. Forgive us if we keep our eyebrows raised on this one.

An end to flaring? Egyptian oil companies use associated gas for power - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 21 January 2019

Two Egyptian oil companies are bucking the industry trend of flaring associated gas by using it for power generation instead, an Oil Ministry source said, according to Youm7. 

Dana Petroleum-EGPC JV Petro Kareem and Vegas-EGPC JV Petro Amir began a project last March to process gas produced at oil fields either for on-site electricity or for the national grid. Fields operated by the companies produce 55 tonnes of gas and 112 tonnes of condensates, along with 10 mcf/d of gas worth around USD 27 mn. Egypt, which is the 11th biggest gas-flaring country in the world, is a signatory to a global initiative aimed at ending routine gas flaring by 2030.

House ratifies Egypt-Cyprus pipeline agreement, other recent agreements - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 10 December 2018

The House of Representatives’ Legislative Committee approved yesterday the Egypt-Cyprus agreement to establish a natural gas pipeline connecting Cyprus’ Aphrodite natgas field to liquefaction plants at home, according to Youm7. 

The pipeline will be used to bring in natgas for re-export to Europe, a key element of Egypt’s bid to become an energy hub for the Eastern Mediterranean.

The committee also approved a USD 65 mn grant from USAID to support water infrastructure, and a KWD 100,000 grant from the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development to purchase equipment for the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute in Giza.

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.

BP to produce 60 mcf/d of natgas from Katameya well in 2020 - ENTERPRISE

Thursday, 18 October 2018

BP will begin producing 60 mcf/d of natural gas from its Katameya Shallow-1 exploration well in the North Damietta East Delta marine concession by 2020, a source from the industry told Youm7. 

Early works on the well are due to begin soon as BP had promised in April to begin production by no later than early 2020. 

The well has 90 bcf of reserves.

Oil Ministry downplays suggestions that Noor field could be 3x Zohr - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 2 July 2018

Oil Ministry advises caution on reports of the size of the Noor field: Oil Minister Tarek El Molla pulled the brakes on reports on reserve figures on the Noor gas field off the coast of North Sinai. He tells Youm7 that the numbers being reported are not official and are not sanctioned by the Oil Ministry. The local and international press had caused a stir last week with reports that Italy’s Eni could unlock as much as 90 tcf of natural gas reserves from the Noor field, would make it about 3x the size of the supergiant Zohr gas field, if true. El Molla noted that the concession agreements for the field have yet to be ratified by the House of Representatives, so Eni would not have even started operations on the field yet.

A source in the industry tells that while the seismic studies are still in progress, drilling of the well won’t take place until later this year — and won’t reach its planned target depth before early January 2019. The source also points out that “on average, exploration wells have a success rate of around 20-25%,” calling it “absolutely extraordinary and extremely unlikely” that it would yield a mega-find on the scale suggested by the press last week.

Schlumberger to complete Gulf of Suez seismic studies before end of 2018 - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 20 May 2018

Oilfield services company Schlumberger is set to complete seismic studies in the Gulf of Suez before the end of this year, a source tells Youm 7. 

Norway’s TGS also expects to deliver final data in December this year after completing a 10,000-km 2D seismic surveyalong Egypt’s Red Sea border with Saudi Arabia. 

Schlumberger and TGS-NOPEC are two of five firms that were awarded contracts for scans in the area last year.

The Ismail Cabinet approved a USD 105 mn exploration agreement with Eni - ENTERPRISE

Thursday, 10 May 2018

The Ismail Cabinet approved a USD 105 mn exploration agreement with Eni and the Egypt’s Tharwa to search for oil and gas in the Mediterranean off the coast of north Sinai, according to a cabinet statement. Under the agreement, Eni and Tharwa drill two wells over two stages in the coming six years, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla told reporters on Wednesday. Separately, Eni has reportedly begun drilling the second exploratory well in its South Meleiha concession in the Western Desert’s Faghur Basin, Youm7 reports. Eni had announced last week making an oil discovery from another well in the Faghur Basin, which is expected to deliver 2,300 bop/d of light oil.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail met yesterday with the head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Sultan Jaber, according to a Cabinet statement. The two discussed oil and gas cooperation, as well as increasing Emirati investments in Egypt’s oil refining, petrochemicals, and LNG sectors.

BP’s additional seismic mapping of Atoll gas field to be completed in 4Q2018 - ENTERPRISE

Monday, 30 April 2018

BP intends to conclude in 4Q2018 additional seismic scans it has been conducting at its Atoll gas field to locate additional reserves, a source tells Youm 7, adding that initial data brings “good news”. 

BP Group CEO Bob Dudley had announced in February that his company would invest USD 1 bn this year as production from Atoll gas field began seven months ahead of schedule.

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.

ExxonMobil delegation in Egypt to discuss possible projects - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 5 November 2017

A delegation from ExxonMobil reportedly arrived in Egypt to discuss possible oil and gas projects within the next 5-7 years, an Oil Ministry source says, Youm7 reports. 

The delegation met with officials from the EGPC, EGAS, and the Ganoub El Wadi Petroleum Holding Company. 

Rosneft looking into expanding Zohr stake - ENTERPRISE

Sunday, 22 October 2017

INVESTMENT WATCH- Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin told reporters the company is considering buying an additional 5% stake in Zohr, Reuters reports. Rosneft recently closed its acquisition of a 30% stake in the gas field — first announced last year — from Eni for USD 1.125 bn. Sechin also added some of the gas produced from Zohr “could be supplied to Europe.”

This comes as EGAS sources say that the field will begin production as early as next month at a daily capacity of 350 mcf, according to Youm7. Production will double to around 700 mcf/d before the end of 1Q2018, the source added.

Nooros gas field to produce 1.2 bcf/d before the end of August -El Molla - ENTERPRISE / YOUM7

Sunday, 7 May 2017

Production from Eni’s Nooros gas field will reach 1.2 bcf/d before the end of August, up from a current 920-970 mcf/d, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla tells Youm7. 

According to El Molla, the company is in the final phases of drilling to expand production from the field.

TEKMOR Note: In July 2016, Ieoc through Petrobel has announced the discovery of the Nooros field located in the Abu Madi West development lease in the Nile Delta which is estimated to contain about 530 bcf (approx. 15ncm or 0,5tcf) of gas in place, beside to associate condensates.

On the horizon - ENTERPRISE

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Egypt expects to receive its first 2 mn bbl shipment of crude oil from Iraq on 12 May, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla tells Youm7. 

According to the minister, the one-year agreement will see Iraq sending 2 mn bbl every second month for a total of 12 mn bbl.

BP to bring Fayoum, Giza concessions on stream ahead of schedule - ENTERPRISE / YOUM7 / OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGY

Thursday, 16 March 2017

BP is reportedly bringing the Fayoum and Giza natural gas fields (see North Alexandria Concession) into production ahead of schedule in November, Oil Ministry sources tell Youm7.

The fields were initially slated to come on stream in 1Q19. BP is expected to produce 400 mcf/d from the concessions.

West Nile Delta (WND) Project involves the development of gas and condensate fields located within the North Alexandria (N Alex) and West Mediterranean Deepwater concessions in the Mediterranean sea, approximately 65km to 85km off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.

Qalaa’s ERC in talks with Aramco, Shell over fuel imports - ENTERPRISE / YOUM7

Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Qalaa Holdings subsidiary Egyptian Refining Company (ERC) is in talks with Saudi Aramco, Kuwait National Petroleum Company and Shell to import an additional 1.2 mn tonnes of feedstock needed for its operations at USD 3.7 bn refinery in Mostorod, ERC’s Managing Director Mohamed Saad tells Youm7.