Egypt’s oil and gas sector highlighted the role of natural gas, advanced production technologies, and regional cooperation in boosting industrial growth and maximizing economic returns at the Mediterranean Offshore Conference and Exhibition (MOC 2026), according to a statement by the petroleum ministry on October 22.

During a strategic dialogue session titled “From Molecules to Manufacturing: How Natural Gas Can Power Egypt’s Next Phase of Industrial Growth,” speakers examined how Egypt could derive greater economic value from its energy infrastructure, production technologies, East Mediterranean gas supplies, and associated natural gas.

The session brought together officials and industry executives to discuss ways to increase domestic value added and strengthen energy security.

Alaa Abdel Fattah, Chairman of the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM), said his company said was preparing a new road map to develop Egypt’s petrochemicals industry, focusing on meeting domestic market needs and maximizing the value added from natural gas by converting it into products that support industrial activity and generate higher economic returns.

Tamer Idris, Executive Vice President for Operations and Production at the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), said incentives and new pricing mechanisms announced by the petroleum industry  had helped deliver positive results in efforts to increase oil and natural gas production.

For his part, Yasser El Tawansy, Managing Director for Egypt, Sudan, and the East Mediterranean at SLB, stated that said integrated digital solutions and artificial intelligence workflows had generated savings worth hundreds of millions of dollars and increased production by as much as 30% in some cases.

Greg McDaniel, Senior Vice President of Global Assets at Apache Corporation, remarked that recent discoveries in concession areas developed in cooperation with EGPC and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) reflected the benefits of flexible petroleum agreements and operating arrangements.

Held between 20 and 22 October in Alexandria, MOC 2026 is scheduled to feature around 20 technical sessions covering 84 research papers from 27 countries. Topics will include increasing production from mature fields, maximizing the use of modern technologies, and applying artificial intelligence in the petroleum industry.