Egypt ramps up natural gas output with new West Delta wells

CAIRO, Egypt (MNTV) — Egypt’s petroleum ministry announced that two new offshore wells in the West Delta Deep Marine project have begun production, boosting the country’s natural gas output by an additional 60 million cubic feet per day (mcfd).

The move comes as Egypt intensifies efforts to reverse declining production and reduce its growing dependence on imported gas to meet domestic demand.

According to the ministry, the new additions include 50 mcfd from the Sapphire South Central DP well—drilled under phase 11 of the West Delta development with Shell’s investment—and 10 mcfd from the Scarab D4 well, which has been restored after years of inactivity.

Egypt, once a leading gas exporter in the region, has faced a sharp production decline due to aging fields and underinvestment in exploration. 

Data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) shows national output fell to 3,545 million cubic meters in May 2025, more than 40% below levels recorded in March 2021.

To counter the drop, Cairo has turned to new drilling campaigns. Earlier this week, the petroleum ministry confirmed three new wells were being developed at the Zohr field in the Mediterranean, Egypt’s largest gas reserve. 

An additional well in Zohr has already been linked to production, contributing 65 mcfd to the grid.

Zohr, which once peaked at 2.7 billion cubic feet per day in 2019, saw its output fall to 1.9 billion cubic feet per day by early 2024, highlighting the urgency of revitalizing production.

Meanwhile, to secure energy supplies, Egypt signed a landmark $35 billion import deal this month with Israel’s Leviathan field partners, underscoring the country’s dual strategy of reviving domestic output while expanding imports.