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Egypt has launched the most comprehensive oil and natural gas exploration program in its history, with large-scale seismic surveys covering nearly 10% of the country’s total land area, Egypt’s Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi said.
Badawi said the program includes extensive onshore and offshore seismic studies and aims to expand exploration activities across both land and maritime areas as part of a broader energy strategy.
He said 101 oil and natural gas wells are scheduled to be drilled in 2026 under a $5.7 billion investment plan approved in 2025.
Under the five-year plan, first drilling operations are planned for a total of 480 wells.
The exploration program accelerated after foreign energy companies, including British Petroleum (BP) and Italy’s Eni, reported new oil and gas discoveries in Egypt.
Badawi said a land-based seismic survey project has been launched in the Southwestern Desert, covering the West Assiut and Dakhla regions and spanning more than 100,000 square kilometers.
The area represents approximately 10% of Egypt’s total surface area.
The 12-month project aims to improve data quality and reduce investment risks in new exploration zones.
Offshore, a seismic survey program will be carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean, covering around 95,000 square kilometers.
The project, aimed at identifying natural gas reserves, will be implemented in three phases.
Badawi said agreements have been signed for the project, with the first phase set to begin in 2026 and covering 18,000 square kilometers.
According to a report published by the Petroleum Ministry last month, 75 new oil and natural gas discoveries were made during the 2024–2025 fiscal year, while 383 new wells were brought into production.
The report said the discoveries added approximately 1.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Egypt’s output.
Badawi said increased refining capacity also led to savings of about $6.7 billion in petroleum product imports.
Egypt aims to strengthen energy supply security and reduce external dependence through new exploration and production projects.
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