Egypt has taken the first steps toward implementing a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy to study connecting the companies’ gas fields offshore Cyprus to Egypt’s natural gas infrastructure for re-export, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoPMR) said on August 6.

The implementation roadmap was discussed during a meeting in New Alamein between Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Kenan Nariman, Vice President of ExxonMobil LNG Market Development, and Diaa Soheil, Vice President and Venture Operations Manager at ExxonMobil Egypt Upstream Limited, and senior company executives.

The MoU signed by Egypt, ExxonMobil, and QatarEnergy is intended to evaluate the development and commercialization of ExxonMobil’s Cypriot fields, Glaucus and Pegasus in Block 10, by transporting their gas to Egypt’s existing processing and LNG export infrastructure.

Badawi described the meeting as the first executive step following the signing of the agreement, noting that both sides agreed to swiftly launch joint technical committees and establish implementation programs and clear timelines for technical, commercial, and regulatory studies.

Badawi said the planned connection of Cyprus’ gas discoveries to Egypt’s infrastructure builds on a series of regional cooperation initiatives, beginning with the Cronos project in partnership with Eni and TotalEnergies, followed by the Aphrodite project with Chevron, and now the collaboration with ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy. He said the projects collectively represent a model for regional integration that strengthens energy security across the Eastern Mediterranean.

Gas from the Cronos field will be transported to Egypt for processing, liquefaction, and re-export through its LNG facilities, while gas from Aphrodite will be supplied to Egypt under a 15-year agreement (extendable by five years), with Egypt receiving, processing, and exporting the gas via its existing infrastructure.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Badawi invited ExxonMobil’s leadership to participate in the Mediterranean Offshore Conference (MOC), scheduled for October, to showcase Egypt’s LNG infrastructure and explore additional investment and cooperation opportunities.

In late May, Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, ExxonMobil, and QatarEnergy signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assess linking the partners’ offshore Cyprus gas discoveries to Egypt’s natural gas infrastructure.