Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, has met with a high-level delegation from Italy’s Eni, including Diego Portuguese, Head of North Africa and Levant region, to discuss ongoing operations in Egypt, especially the project to tie in Cyprus’ Cronos gas field to Egyptian gas and liquefaction facilities.

The government is prioritizing the development of an attractive business model with investment incentives aimed at doubling crude oil production, Badawi noted. He stressed the importance of adopting non-traditional work approaches and utilizing modern technologies to achieve a significant boost in production rates.

Badawi praised the level of cooperation with the Italian company across its concession areas in Egypt, particularly efforts to accelerate operations and bring new wells online as quickly as possible to help secure domestic energy needs. This aligns with the Minister’s recent directive to all International Oil Companies (IOCs) to intensify exploration and accelerate the tie-in of new wells to reduce the national import bill and ensure domestic energy security.

At the end of the meeting, the delegation expressed its appreciation for the strong relationship and ongoing cooperation with the ministry and Egyptian authorities. The delegation included Diego Portoghese, Head of North Africa and Levant, Francesco Gaspari, General Manager of the International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC), Eni’s Egyptian subsidiary, and Mahmoud Abou El-Yazid, Deputy General Manager of Eni in Egypt.​

Notably, Badawi met the Italian Ambassador to Cairo to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector.

This meeting underscores Eni’s deep commitment to the Egyptian market. The Italian major recently pledged to invest $8 billion over the next five years to expand its exploration and production activities.

Eni resumed operations at the Zohr gas field in the Mediterranean in 2025, during which it began developing new wells. In October, Egypt encountered a gas-bearing layer at the Zohr-9 well in the Mediterranean Sea, with an estimated output of about 70 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d). This step builds on the development of the Zohr-6 well, adding 65 mmcf/d in 2025.