Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, met with senior bp officials to review the company’s exploration, drilling and production plans in Egypt, including a $700 million program targeting four wells.

The meeting brought together Gordon Birrell, bp’s Executive Vice President for Exploration and Production; Nader Zaki, the company’s Regional President for the Middle East and North Africa; and Wail Shaheen, Chairman of bp Egypt.

bp officials reviewed the drilling program, which started in April and covers four confirmed wells. They also discussed the recent start-up of the Fayoum-4 well, which has been connected to Egypt’s national natural gas grid and is currently supplying around 80 million cubic feet per day, two years ahead of the original schedule.

The rig has since moved to the next location to drill the exploratory Grab well. It will then drill two consecutive deepwater exploration wells for Arkus, a joint venture in which bp holds a 51% stake and XRG owns 49%.

The meeting also covered bp’s global priorities, future business plans and investment direction, while Badawi stressed the ministry’s support for continued exploration and production programs in bp’s concession areas to help increase Egypt’s oil and gas output.

The latest drilling activity follows bp’s August start-up of Fayoum-4 in the West Nile Delta, adding around 80 mmcf/d to domestic gas supplies. The company brought the well online using existing processing facilities and the Giza-Fayoum pipeline, avoiding the need for new subsea infrastructure.

bp had discovered the well during its 2025 exploration campaign and accelerated its development by around two years. For FY2026/27, the company has committed $1.5 billion to gas exploration and development in Egypt.