Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla praised the work of the German DEA Group in Egypt during a meeting with its CEO, Thomas Rappuhn, Egypt Oil & Gas reports.

El Molla noted that DEA is a successful example of Egyptian-German cooperation in the fields of exploration and production (E&P), particularly highlighting DEA’s project in the West Delta gas fields. The first phase of this project has been completed and the fields began production in May 2017. The second phase is slated for completion by the end of 2018.

Rappuhn, for his part, praised the Egyptian oil and gas sector, and attributed much of DEA’s success, particularly in its North Alexandria project, to the support of the government.

Egypt, El Molla noted, is looking to implement projects and quicken production in order to decrease the gap between domestic supply and demand.

The DEA Group is a German-based company that specializes in the exploration for and development of oil and natural gas.