Egypt starts gas production from new Western Desert discovery

Cairo: Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced that Khalda Petroleum has started production from the newly discovered Wanda deep natural gas exploration well in Egypt’s Western Desert at an initial rate of 40 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d).

Drilled to a depth of 15,000 feet, electrical logging at the Wanda well indicated positive natural gas-bearing structures. Subsequent production testing confirmed commercial output at 40 mmcf/d. To expedite development, Khalda Petroleum constructed a 10-kilometre (km) production pipeline at an investment of $2.3 million, linking the well directly to existing infrastructure.

The discovery advances the ministry’s strategy to boost domestic hydrocarbon production and fast-track the development of new discoveries. It also reinforces ongoing exploration efforts in the Western Desert and strengthens Egypt’s domestic natural gas supply.