Halliburton, a global leader in energy services, has recently celebrated 25 years of providing hydraulic fracturing services to Egypt’s oil and gas sector. The event was convened by industry leaders, technical experts, and key stakeholders for a day of reflection, innovation, and recognition.

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking or Frac,” is a well stimulation technique used to enhance the extraction of oil and gas from underground rock formations. The process involves injecting high-pressure fluid, typically a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals, into the reservoir rock. This creates small fractures, allowing hydrocarbons to flow more freely into the wellbore, thereby increasing production rates and improving resource recovery.

“In fields with low permeability—where fluid flow through rock is limited—hydraulic fracturing (frac) is essential to unlocking and extracting resources. In oil reservoirs, fracking can dramatically boost recovery. For natural gas, where permeability can be nearly zero, frac techniques, especially when combined with horizontal drilling, can transform unproductive wells into significant producers” Abd El Nasser Khafagy, vice executive managing director for production and fields development in the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), explained to Egypt Oil & Gas during the event.

The technique is also ideally suited for mature provinces, according to Alan Linn, Cheiron CEO. “After (easily accessible) oil has already been extracted, what remains is much more difficult to access. So, oil and gas companies need to use technology and new techniques to access that oil economically. Hydraulic fracturing is one of the key tools that allow oil and gas companies to do that,” he told Egypt Oil & Gas

Over the past 25 years, Halliburton has been at the forefront of introducing and advancing hydraulic fracturing technologies in Egypt. These innovations have enabled operators to tap into previously inaccessible reserves, contributing significantly to the nation’s energy security and economic growth.

Panelists Discuss Technology and the Future

During the event, a lively panel of industry experts discussed current challenges, opportunities, and the evolving landscape of hydraulic fracturing in Egypt. The panel was moderated by Mohamed Amer, PE, Regional Manager at Halliburton.

Panelists shed light on the experience of their companies with the Fracking technique.

“In Badr El Din Petroleum (BAPETCO), we have completed 200 fracks over the last four years, with investments of $60 million. Each of those fracks gives us an average incremental uplift of about 300 barrels a day per well (bbl/d),” Linn noted. He said that around “80% of BAPETCO’s production is the result of fracking.”

Talking about the future ahead, Tamer Edrees, Deputy CEO for Production at the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) noted, “The oil and gas sector and Halliburton have another 25 years to work together. That is not easy, but it is still an opportunity.”

He also highlighted the future technology of using intelligent algorithms to help overcome challenges. Meanwhile, Shawn Stasiuk, Halliburton’s vice president of production enhancement underscored how these technologies can help mitigate risks in the fracking business.

Halliburton’s Approach to Maximizing Recovery Rates

Mohamed Abdel Halim, PE Technical Manager at Haliburton, delivered a presentation on the types of fracturing provided by the company. During the presentation, Abdel Halim explained the diverse fracturing solutions provided by Halliburton, such as foam and offshore fracturing. Foam fracturing enhances efficiency in depleted and water sensitive formations using foamed fluids, according to Abdel Halim, while offshore fracturing addresses well stimulation in offshore environments. “Haliburton provides engineering solutions to maximize operations efficiency and optimize recovery,” he said.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi gave a speech during the event, noting that celebrating 25 years of Haliburton’s provision of hydraulic fracturing operations in Egypt is a milestone that reflects a commitment to advancing energy production through innovation and strategic partnership with the Egyptian government.

Rami Yassine, Halliburton’s Senior Vice President, MENA, highlighted the company’s ongoing partnership with Egypt, stressing the need for continued innovation, investment, and technical leadership to achieve the country’s production goals and advance the sector. “As a company, we are dedicated and committed to continued investment in Egypt. We are able to continuously improve thanks to the collaboration of our customers and the environment created by the Ministry.”

The event spotlighted the importance of technology and Artificial Intelligence in developing hydraulic fracturing services to enhance recovery.

Shawn Stasiuk, Vice President, Production Enhancement at Halliburton, introduced Zeus IQ™, Halliburton’s intelligent fracturing platform. This technology is designed to automate and optimize operations in real time, enabling smarter fracture execution and alignment with the Ministry’s digital transformation strategy for hydraulic fracturing. Stasiuk explained that people have been telling machines what to do for 70 years, until November 2024. That is when machines started to communicate back. “They told us how to place stages and how a frack should be executed. For the first time, the frack spread and the subsurface were communicating in real time.”

In this regard, Badawi emphasized the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ (MoPMR) full support for integrating advanced technologies like AI and digitalization to boost operational performance and drive sustainable growth in the sector.

Recognition Awards

During the event, Halliburton represented by Rami Yassine, Halliburton’s Senior Vice President, MENA, Ahmed Helmy, Halliburton’s North Africa Vice President and Amr Azzam, Halliburton’s Egypt Country Manager presented awards to the oil and gas sector’s senior executives not in their capacities but as representatives of the entities that partnered with Halliburton over the years.

The list of award recipients included:

Minister Karim Badawi, as a representative of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

Greg McDaniel, Apache Vice President and Egypt Country Manager

Saeed Abdel Moneim, Khalda Petroleum Chairman

Ashraf Abdel Gawad, Chairman of BAPETCO

Khaled El-Sheshtawy, the North Baharia Petroleum Company (Norpetco) Chairman

Alan Linn, Cheiron CEO

Khaled Mowafi, Petrobel Chairman on Behalf of Petrobel and Eni

Tharwat El Gendy Agiba Petroleum Chairman

Tamer Edrees, Deputy CEO for Production at the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC)

Abd El Nasser Khafagy, Vice Executive Managing Director for Production and Fields Development in the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS)

The celebration showcased the company’s long-term focus on innovation, collaboration, and sustainable progress in Egypt’s energy sector, as well as the crucial role of hydraulic fracturing to access complex reserves, boost production, and improve Egypt’s energy security.