Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, has established a firm end-of-March deadline for finalizing technical and commercial agreements with US oil major Chevron to connect Cyprus’ Aphrodite gas field to Egyptian processing infrastructure. The timeline was set during high-level meetings in Washington with Chevron’s senior leadership, where both parties agreed to reconvene in Cairo before the deadline with all project stakeholders.
The discussions centered on accelerating the framework for transporting gas from the Aphrodite field to Egypt’s established facilities, which Badawi described as the most efficient and economically viable route to bring Cypriot gas to international markets. The minister emphasized that leveraging Egypt’s existing infrastructure would ensure mutual economic benefits for Egypt, Cyprus and the investing partners while avoiding costly delays associated with building standalone export facilities.
Chevron reportedly began seabed survey operations in early summer 2025, adhering to the construction timetable for a strategic subsea pipeline that will link the Aphrodite gas field in the Eastern Mediterranean directly to Egypt’s network. The project builds on a memorandum of understanding signed by Egypt, Cyprus and Chevron in early 2025, which laid the commercial foundation for utilizing natural gas from the Aphrodite field in Block 12 of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
During his Washington visit, Badawi also met with US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, in the presence of Egyptian Ambassador Motaz Zahran and delegations from both nations. The discussions affirmed the strength of longstanding Egyptian-American energy relations and focused on attracting American investment, expanding collaboration areas and supporting regional energy security efforts.
The Middle East Institute in Washington hosted Badawi for an extensive roundtable with regional experts and specialists, where he highlighted Egypt’s pivotal role as a hub for energy trade and transit in the Eastern Mediterranean. He emphasized Egypt’s commitment to strengthening regional partnerships through natural gas interconnection projects and noted that the country’s infrastructure stands ready to transport Cypriot gas supplies to European markets once production from Cypriot fields reaches commercial levels.
Badawi pointed to Egypt’s success in creating an attractive investment environment in the energy and mining sectors through legislative reforms, investment incentives and world-class infrastructure development. The Aphrodite connection represents a critical test of that framework and could unlock billions in future regional gas cooperation projects.
Source: egyptoil-gas.com