In a bid to explore challenges and production solutions in the oil and gas sector, the Egypt Oil & Gas (EOG) Committee’s Task Force leaders gathered on Tuesday, February 4 to review the latest achievements in the sector and set strategic plans for 2025.
The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Greg McDaniel, VP of Apache Egypt Assets and Country Manager and attended by 25 leaders of the EOG Committee, included five key presentations about the committee’s various task forces, including Brownfields, Digitalization, Sustainable Development, Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), and Women in Energy.
“The more we create a common ground on different initiatives, the more it helps with communication and opens further opportunities in the sector. That is what this committee is about,” said Mohamed Fouad, CEO of Egypt Oil & Gas and Committee Co-Chairman during his opening speech at the meeting held in the Triumph Luxury Hotel.
Fouad highlighted the committee’s role since its establishment in 2012 in facilitating communication between the government and investors for better development of the oil and gas industry.
During the meeting, Osama El Shenoufy, Sales Director of Weatherford North Africa, reviewed the committee’s efforts and initiatives made for brownfield projects in Egypt, the past challenges, and the steps being taken to address them. He also reviewed the field visits conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoPMR) to understand challenges on the ground and develop an action plan based on these insights while capitalizing on the EOG’s previous White Paper on brownfields presented at the EOG Convention last November.
For the Brownfield Task Force, the focus in 2025 will be on building the EOG White Paper’s findings and updating it. Additionally, a knowledge-sharing platform will be created to document and share field experiences and challenges, he said.
In respect of Digitalization in the sector, Osama Salem, Market Leader of AVEVA Egypt and North Africa, discussed the committee’s efforts for operation and production efficiency in 2024. He reviewed achievements of Agile Process Stimulation projects including a 3-5% production increase and a 1-2% cost reduction in a three-month project using process stimulation software.
He noted that the Digitalization Task Force plans this year will include the mining sector, in addition to optimizing digitalization in the value chain across oil and gas, downstream, midstream, and upstream sectors. Besides the Digitalization Task Force will hold a digital transformation workshop in the third quarter and a strategic round table with the MoPMR and C-level Executives in the fourth as he noted.
Meanwhile, Ahmed El-Gabry, Social Performance Manager of Shell Egypt, highlighted the committee’s objectives and successful CSR national campaigns for the oil and gas sector. He focused on four main aspects: education, awareness, environmental campaigns, and health. In addition, he affirmed the sector’s ability to excel through its commitment to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), emphasizing the need to raise the bar in the oil and gas sector.
The Sustainable Development Task Force aims to implement a renewable energy project in a major hospital to eliminate power cut risks in the first quarter and second quarter and plan a health campaign in the second quarter. In the third and fourth quarters, the focus will shift to youth capacity building, supporting women empowerment, and small-scale agriculture projects. The fourth quarter will also see efforts on water conservation and access to clean water.
As part of the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Task Force, Abdelaziz Fadel, QHSE Manager of Halliburton Egypt and Libya, reviewed their efforts to understand and share best practices.
“HSE is a core value and part of the Ministry of Petroleum’s vision,” he said, referring to the many steps taken to enhance cooperation between the ministry and the different companies working in this sector to start implementing the HSE strategy.
The HSE Committee Task Force is planning a special campaign for Ramadan, identifying a focal point for the HSE strategy from the MoPMR, and cooperating with different groups in the MoPMR on HSE to support the oil and gas sector and address long-term challenges, Fadel noted.
Eleanor Rowley, Managing Director of Capricorn Energy Egypt, reviewed workshops and sessions held by the EOG Committee for empowering women and overcoming career challenges in the energy industry, emphasizing the committee’s goal to help women achieve their full potential.
The Women in Energy Task Force will hold an event called “She in Energy” in March. The Task Force will also work on developing resources and tips for other groups, including young leaders, technical disciplines, and fresh graduates.
