Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla witnessed the inauguration of the first phase linking Raven field, one of the fields north of Alexandria, which is being developed by bp, to the natural gas complex in the Western Desert, operated by the Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO).

El Molla stated that the expanded Egyptian role in the natural gas industry was encouraged by a clear vision based on economic reform, political stability, and success in building distinguished international and regional relations.

The vision is also based on Egypt’s cooperation with reliable partners to develop and increase production of natural resources. The petroleum sector is keen to create an attractive climate for investments and the necessary ingredients for the success of this investment.

During the inauguration, El Molla noted that the petroleum industry, with its long history and vision, is always working to achieve the highest economic return from natural resources.

The Western Desert natural gas complex is one of the important petroleum edifices that serve the needs of the local market and petrochemical complexes of natural gas derivatives, the minister pointed out.

The strategy to develop and modernize the petroleum sector, which began in 2016, set a vision for developing and increasing the capabilities of production entities to keep pace with growth rates and increasing market needs. Therefore, today Egypt witnessed the opening of a new phase of increasing the production of factories in the Western Desert complex, as well as increasing the security of its supplies, El Molla explained.

The minister listened to an explanation by Yasser Salah El Din, GASCO’s Chairman, which included the project’s progress in linking the Raven field gas line to the Western Desert gas complex. It highlighted that it is a genuine example of expediting the implementation of petroleum projects necessary to increase and secure production.

This connection project came to feed the complex from the fields of the Mediterranean, in addition to the main supply of natural gas from the Western Desert’s fields. It works to enhance the security of supply and achieve full benefit from gas rich in derivatives discovered in the Mediterranean.