British Petroleum (bp) has started production from the Fayoum-4 well in Egypt’s West Nile Delta, adding an estimated 80 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of natural gas to the domestic market.

The well’s production has been tied into bp’s existing West Nile Delta gas-processing facilities, which the company operates with an 82.75% stake, through the Giza-Fayoum pipeline, allowing the company to bring the new volumes online without developing new subsea infrastructure.

The project was accelerated following bp’s 2025 exploration campaign, which led to the discovery of the Fayoum well. The company said the accelerated development brought production forward by about two years compared with the original plan.

Starting production from Fayoum-4 reflects bp’s continued support for the Ministry of Petroleum’s strategy to accelerate development activities, maximize the use of existing infrastructure, and deploy the latest technologies to increase domestic natural gas production in Egypt, according to bp Egypt Vice President Wail Shaheen.

The new production comes as Egypt continues efforts to increase domestic gas output and reduce its reliance on imported gas.

bp used sidetrack drilling to bring the well back into production by accessing new reservoir layers, without the need to drill a new well. The operation reached reservoirs more than 3,000 meters deep, enabling additional production while making efficient use of existing reserves and infrastructure. bp is also committing $1.5 billion in investments for gas development and exploration during the 2026/2027 fiscal year, supporting its efforts to increase production and maximize the potential of its existing assets.