On the sidelines of the OMC Med Energy Conference and Exhibition 2025 in Italy, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi met with Mohamed Arkab, the Minister of Energy, Mines, and Renewable Energy of Algeria, and his accompanying delegation. They discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in areas including exploration, field development, refining and petrochemicals, as well as LNG trade and marketing.

Both ministers also discussed projects related to green hydrogen production and marketing. They emphasized the strategic importance of harnessing the mining sector’s potential, particularly in phosphate transformation industries and fertilizer production, while also focusing on the exchange of expertise and technology in these vital fields.

Arkab urged Egyptian companies to capitalize on partnership and investment opportunities provided by the new legislative frameworks for investment in Algeria’s hydrocarbons and mining sectors. His aim is to strengthen bilateral cooperation and boost the contribution of the energy and mining sectors to the economic development of both countries.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the event held from April 8–10, Badawi met with Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Eni, to discuss the company’s expansion plans in Egypt, the 2025 drilling program, and the drilling of the second well in the Zohr field. They also reviewed development plans for the Nour and Narges fields in the Mediterranean Sea.

They also reviewed the implementation of commercial agreements related to Cyprus’s Cronos field, focusing on the regulation of connection, transportation, processing, liquefaction, and export processes.

Additionally, they discussed the status of technical studies and the project’s timeline, following the recent signing of the host government agreement to develop the Cronos gas field in Egyptian facilities. This development is in partnership with Eni and TotalEnergies, the field’s concessionaires.

Eni is committed to strengthening Egyptian-Cypriot cooperation and driving growth and sustainability for energy security in the region and the global energy sector, Descalzi noted.

On the same day, Badawi met with Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President of Exploration and Production for the Middle East and North Africa region at TotalEnergies, and his accompanying delegation.

The meeting addressed the status of the company’s current projects in Egypt, including efforts to boost production rates in the Bashrush concession area in the North El Hammad concession in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the status of the Cypriot Cronos field.

Badawi expressed the Egyptian petroleum sector’s interest in strengthening cooperation with TotalEnergies in the fields of exploration in the country and the Eastern Mediterranean region.