Egypt’s 10 concessions to drill for gas in Mediterranean Sea

CAIRO – 22 February 2018: Egypt is moving towards self-sufficiency in gas and becoming the Middle East’s energy hub, with expectations to stop importing liquefied gas by June 2018, after the production of its giant gas field, Zohr, began last December.

The Italian energy company Eni discovered in 2015 Zohr gas field in the Shorouk concession with around 850 billion cubic meters of gas.

In 2010, the US Geological Survey estimated in a study that the gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea are about 345 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The study added that it also contains huge amounts of oil reserves of 3.4 billion barrels of oil, along with large amounts of gas liquids.

Egypt's natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta reach about 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

In addition to the discovery of 30 trillion cubic feet of gas in Zohr field, Egypt is drilling for gas in different areas in the Mediterranean Sea.

Egypt Today reviews the concession areas in the Mediterranean Sea and the companies working on them.


Map of the Egyptian gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea.


The Italian energy company Eni and its concession areas

The Italian Company has three concessions in the Mediterranean Sea; the first is Al Shorouk where it discovered Zohr gas field, approximately 190 kilometers north of Port Said in an area of 100 square meters (39 sq mi) and at a depth of 1,450 meters (4,760 ft).

In addition to Al Shorouk Concession, Eni is working on North Leil and Karawan concessions in the west of Zohr field.

British Petroleum has three concessions

British Petroleum Company is working on three concession areas in the Mediterranean Sea; the first is North al-Maks area, in west of Zohr field, the second is North el-Taneen, and the third is al-Tabya area in the south of Zohr field.

Moreover, BP holds 100 percent interest in the Atoll concession, and the company announced that the project was delivered seven months ahead of schedule and 33 percent below the initial cost estimate.

The project in the East Nile Delta is pumping out 350 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) and 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) of condensate.

Three concessions are drilled by the Italian Company Edison

The Italian Company Edison is drilling on three different concessions which are North Theka and Ras Habi in the south of Zohr field, while its third concession is in the north of Port Fouad and in the east of Zohr Field.

While the remaining concession in the Mediterranean Sea is in Northern Arish, located in the southeast of Zohr, and is operated by Dana Gas.

Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Molla said earlier that Egypt accomplished four important projects for gas production in 2017 which are Torres and Libra, Atoll, Norse and Zohr.

These four projects added 1.6 billion cubic feet of gas per day to raise Egypt’s daily production to 5.5 billion cubic feet a day.

Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for production and fields’ development Mohamed Abdel Azim said earlier that Egypt’s natural gas production will reach some six billion cubic feet a day by the end of fiscal year 2017/18.