Karim Badawi, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, met with Dalia El Gabry, Country Chair of Shell Egypt, to discuss the company’s upcoming investment plans in natural gas exploration and production from its concession areas in the Mediterranean.

Attended by Mahmoud Abdel Hamid, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) Chairman, the discussion focused on Shell’s programs to drill new wells, expand exploration activities, and build on recent output gains achieved through the 10th and 11th phases of the West Delta Deep Marine project.

Both sides reviewed the ongoing cooperation at the Idku LNG plant, a key asset to support Egypt’s role as a regional hub for natural gas trade.

The meeting also reviewed incentives provided by the Ministry of Petroleum in this field to accelerate new discoveries.

Shell has been present in Egypt for more than a century and today focuses mainly on offshore gas exploration and production in the Mediterranean and Nile Delta. The company is a longstanding partner in Egyptian LNG at Idku and is leading development of the newly discovered Mina West field in the Mediterranean, where it holds a 60% stake alongside Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC).