By Ejekwu Chidiebere
Energy Window International (Media) – Shell, the UK energy industry major has said that commencement of gas production at its Mina West gas field within the Egyptian segment of the Mediterranean Sea will be kickstarted in the fourth quarter of 2026, the company said in a statement.
The project which is expected to increase the country’s capacity by 160MM Standard cubic feet per day (160MScf/d) of gas would be developed by Shell (60%) in partnership with Egypt’s Rashid Petroleum, and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) (40 %).
Shell said Dalia EI Gabry, Vice President and Country Chair of the Dutch Company met with the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Engr. Karim Baldawi for briefings on the project.
It would be recalled that Shell discovered the Mina West accumulation in November 2023 alongside Mina West -1 well which is located, according to statement, in the North East EI- Amriya block, drilled by the drillship Stena Forth. Drilling activities were reported to have taken place at a water depth of around 250 meters below sea level offshore Nile Delta, with primary data confirming the presence of gas-bearing reservoir.
Khaled Kacem, former Vice President and Country Chair of Shell Egypt was even quoted to have 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.”
Mina West well -1 and Mina West -2 would be tied back to the existing production facilities in the West Delta Deep Marine area (WDDM) according to Shell.
Stena IceMax Shell says, will move for another exploratory engagement at Sinus-1 well in the same block after it’s done drilling Mina West-2, to be able to access a gas reservoir in shallower waters, followed by the Velox well in the North Cleopatra area in the Herodotus Basin, all of which are aimed at opening new projects for gas discoveries.
Egypt analysts say is desperate to increase its gas production to so that it can supply the estimated 40 000+ MW to feed the thermal plants and its voracious gas industries. The statement added that the country’s output had fallen from higher than 7Billion Standard cubic feet per day (7Bscf/d) in 2021 to less than 5Bscf/d in 2026. The country has been importing, according to stories dozens of LNG cargoes particularly recently.
