Egypt, Qatar explore long-term gas supply deals, energy cooperation

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi led a high-level delegation to Doha, following an invitation from Qatari Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi. The visit aimed to discuss opportunities for deepening investment and technical collaboration across the oil and gas sectors.

Talks focused on accelerating the implementation of joint natural gas projects and finalising long-term contracts for gas imports from Qatar. The two sides also explored integration of their energy infrastructure to support LNG trade, liquefaction, and regasification, leveraging both countries’ strategic assets.

On their side, QatarEnergy expressed its intention to expand exploration and production activities in Egypt, particularly in the Mediterranean. Discussions addressed drilling plans for key wells including Nefertari, Cairo, Masry, and North Marakia, operated jointly with ExxonMobil. QatarEnergy also recently acquired a share in Chevron’s stake in the North Dabaa offshore concession through an agreement with EGAS and Chevron.

The talks also included discussions on increasing Egyptian companies’ involvement in Qatar’s energy projects, particularly in engineering, operations, and maintenance, given their technical expertise in oil, gas, and renewables.

Both sides also reviewed avenues for cooperation under the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), where Egypt and Qatar are members. The forum, headquartered in Doha, represents around 70 per cent of global gas reserves and plays a key role in shaping global energy policy.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: M. S. Salama