Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi met with Adnan Zainol Abidin, Chief Operating Officer-(COO) of the Malaysian Petronas Group, to discuss the status of the group’s current investments in Egypt and its plans to increase investments, particularly in research and exploration.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the minister’s participation in the Gastech 2024 conference in Houston, Texas, USA.

The meeting also reviewed Petronas’ current investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in Egypt, particularly through its partnership in the Idku LNG Complex. Discussions focused on opportunities to expand these investments, especially given the rising global demand for LNG.

Attendees also addressed the progress of the 10th and 11th phases of natural gas development and production projects in the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) in the Mediterranean Sea, where Petronas is partnered with Shell, the main operator. Production from Phase 10 is expected to begin by the end of this year, with Phase 11 set to commence in the second quarter of 2025.

The meeting was attended by Yassin Mohamed, Executive Managing Director of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), and Mohamed Radwan, Exploration Manager and Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) Project Manager.