Egypt is accelerating the deployment of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies across its key oil-producing regions as part of a bold five-year exploration and production plan (2026–2030), aimed at achieving crude oil self-sufficiency and reversing a decline in production that has weighed on the country’s energy security and foreign exchange reserves.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi, speaking at a high-level ministry review meeting attended by senior officials and executives from major international service and technology firms, stressed that Egypt holds substantial petroleum potential but that unlocking it requires mastering advanced technologies and building effective partnerships with global drilling companies. The ministry is developing incentive models to make large-scale application of these technologies commercially viable and is working closely with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and international service providers to operationalise the approach.
EGPC CEO Salah Abdel Kerim highlighted promising opportunities for horizontal and lateral drilling in conventional reservoirs across the Western Desert, Eastern Desert, Gulf of Suez, and Sinai — noting that horizontal wells can dramatically outperform vertical wells in the same geological formations while reducing the total number of wells required. He also pointed to the successful experience of Norpetco in the Western Desert as a model for expanding hydraulic fracturing nationwide.
Egypt’s five-year plan places increased cooperation with international oil companies at its centre, alongside measures to limit import costs and channel domestically produced energy into value-added industries and export markets — part of a comprehensive strategy to shore up energy security and economic resilience.
Source: egyptoil-gas.com