Shell Egypt, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, has made a hydrocarbon discovery in the North East El-Amriya block (also called Block 3) within the Egyptian sector of the Mediterranean Sea.
The gas discovery was made through the drilling of the Mina West well.
According to Shell Egypt, Mina West is the first of the three wells to be drilled as part of an exploration campaign.
The exploratory drilling occurred at approximately 250m below sea level in the offshore Nile Delta, revealing initial data that confirms the existence of a gas-bearing reservoir.
Additional analysis of the collected data is necessary as per the company to assess the magnitude and recoverable potential of the discovery.
Shell Egypt vice president and country chair Khaled Kacem 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.”
The company had engaged the Stena Forth rig, a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU), for the drilling campaign under a contract awarded to Stena Drilling in January 2023.
The drilling initiative requires the implementation of managed pressure drilling (MPD) using the system owned and installed by Stena Drilling aboard the Stena Forth.
Shell, through its subsidiary BG International, entered into a farm-out agreement (FOA) with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration (KUFPEC) in September this year.
Under the agreement, KUFPEC will take a 40% stake in the North East El-Amriya block, while Shell will keep the remaining 60% stake of the partner’s share with Egyptian Natural Gas (EGAS).
In May last year, BG International signed a FOA with ExxonMobil Egypt (Upstream) to acquire a 100% stake in the North East El-Amriya block.
