Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is in advanced negotiations with TotalEnergies over a new memorandum of understanding covering expanded natural gas exploration in the Herodotus Basin — a vast and largely untapped deepwater frontier in the Western Mediterranean that Cairo is increasingly positioning as the centrepiece of its next phase of hydrocarbon growth.
Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi met with Pascal Briand, TotalEnergies’ Managing Director for Egypt and Cyprus, to advance the MoU discussions. Badawi emphasised that intensifying natural gas exploration is a cornerstone of the ministry’s vision, with the Mediterranean region identified as a top priority for the country’s upstream strategy going forward. He pointed to Egypt’s strong existing petroleum infrastructure, accumulated technical expertise, and the promising geological potential of the basin as key advantages for prospective partners.
Briand confirmed that TotalEnergies regards Egypt as a strategic market and intends to strengthen its exploration presence in the Mediterranean in light of the opportunities available. “TotalEnergies considers Egypt a strategic market and intends to strengthen its presence and investments in natural gas exploration activities, especially in the Mediterranean region, in light of the promising opportunities it offers,” he said.
The Herodotus Basin spans over 90,000 square kilometres and represents one of the most compelling yet underexplored deepwater prospects in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is attracting growing industry attention — Shell Egypt began its 2026 Mediterranean drilling campaign earlier this year, including the Velox exploration well in the North Cleopatra area within the same basin. An MoU with TotalEnergies would signal a significant expansion of international capital into the region and reinforce Egypt’s strategy of leveraging its Mediterranean geography to replenish reserves and sustain gas export capacity at a time of growing regional energy demand.
Source: Egypt Oil & Gas