Egypt, TotalEnergies discuss renewed push into Mediterranean gas exploration

Egypt held talks with France’s TotalEnergies on plans for the company to expand its natural gas exploration activities in the country, particularly in the deepwater Mediterranean, the Petroleum Ministry said on Thursday.

Petroleum Minister Karim Badawy met Pascal Breant, TotalEnergies’ Managing Director for Egypt and Cyprus, to review ongoing discussions on the company’s potential return to broader exploration operations, including interest in the Herodotus Basin in the western Mediterranean.

Badawy welcomed the French energy major’s renewed interest, saying Egypt was working to offer more attractive investment opportunities to support increased exploration activity and boost domestic gas output over the medium term.

He said the Mediterranean remains a priority area for future exploration, citing its “promising potential” alongside Egypt’s infrastructure base and accumulated technical expertise in the oil and gas sector.

The minister added that the government is continuing efforts to improve the investment climate and accelerate engagement with international energy companies.

Breant said TotalEnergies considers Egypt a strategic market and intends to expand its presence in natural gas exploration, particularly offshore Mediterranean areas, given the region’s resource potential.

Both sides agreed on the importance of accelerating technical discussions and moving towards the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the near term, which would pave the way for joint exploration projects.