Egypt advances Shell’s Velox-1X exploration well

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum, Karim Badawi, inspected on Saturday the drilling operations of Shell’s Velox-1X exploration well aboard the Stena IceMAX drillship in the North Cleopatra block of the Herodotus Basin in the Mediterranean Sea.

The well is being drilled by Shell in partnership with Chevron, QatarEnergy, which is finalising procedures to join the concession as a partner, and Tharwa Petroleum, as part of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ strategy to intensify exploration activities and maximise natural gas production.

Badawi said the Velox-1X well is located in a virgin area where no previous exploratory drilling has been conducted, highlighting its importance in providing vital geological data and opening new frontiers for exploration.

During the inspection, the minister reviewed the results of Shell’s drilling programme, including the completion of the Mina West-1 and Mina West-2 wells under the Mina West field development project in the Northeast El-Amriya block. The project is being developed through joint investments by Shell and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), with production scheduled to begin by the end of 2026.

The programme also included the successful drilling of the Sirius exploration well in the same area, supporting efforts to increase natural gas production and accelerate exploration activities.