Sameh Fahmy, Minister of Petroleum, announced the establishment of three new companies in order to develop the mineral wealth, oil shale, and producing as well as packing drinking water at Al Wadi Al Gadeed, which affords nearly five thousand job opportunities in the governorate.
In his visit to Al Wadi Al Gadeed, Aswan and Luxor, Fahmy said that the oil and gas exploratory wells drilling operations have been intensified in the South Valley where the first exploratory well was drilled at the area of Wadi Nakra in Aswan.
In Luxor, a new factory for filling LPG cylinders started up operation with a capacity of 10 thousand cylinders daily.
The new mineral resources projects in addition to oil and gas exploration serve the ministry’s strategy to revive the area of Upper Egypt and avail the South Valley’s requirements of LPG in the governorates of Al Wadi Al Gadeed, Aswan, and Luxor.
Fahmy has also signed a joint cooperation protocol, including the cooperation between the governorate and the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (EMRA) to study the capability of using the available marble at Al Wadi Al Gadeed, together with licensing its exploitation to Al Wadi Al Gadeed for Mineral Resources and Oil Shale Company.
The protocol also includes cooperation between the two partners in exploiting the drinking water in the governorate throughout the licensing of a new company, to be established, under the supervision of the South Valley Holding Petroleum Company.
The joint cooperation protocol comprises the establishment of an oil, mining, and administration academy at Al Wadi Al Gadeed governorate to maximize the optimum use of the infrastructure and the available facilities at Abu Tartour phosphate project in cooperation with mining expertise house.
Fahmy witnessed the signing of three agreements during his visit. The first agreement was signed by GANOPE, EMRA, Petrojet, and Nile Oil Marketing Co. listing the establishment of Al Wadi Al Gadeed Co. for Mineral Resources and Oil Shale, S.A.E., active in exploration works, mineral resources, and oil shale exploitation.
The second agreement is designed establish Wahet Paris Co., for Natural Water.
Moreover, Ganope, Petrojet, Nile Oil Marketing Company and the Egyptian Petrochemical Company are to establish the New Valley Co. for manufacturing the natural water bottles.
All projects will be located at Al Wadi Al Gadeed governorate. It was agreed upon establishing the two companies’ branches at Ras Gharib area in the Red Sea.
The minister also checked the work progress in the drilling site of the first well (set-1) at the Ganope Company’s operation location at Al Nakra area in the Eastern Desert, by the Canadian company TransGlobe, within the framework of a program to drill 3 wells as a first phase in Upper Egypt.
The visit, also included, visiting the first LPG filling plant in the Tod area at Luxor, which is being implemented jointly by Petrogas and the Supreme Council of Luxor with a total cost L.E. 10 million.
(MoP)
