Egypt launches large-scale seismic survey in southern Western Desert to boost oil, gas exploration

Egypt’s Petroleum Minister Karim Badawy inspected on Wednesday the start of a seismic survey project west of Assiut in the southern Western Desert, aimed at attracting new investment in the country’s oil and gas sector.

The initiative, led by South Valley Egyptian Petroleum Holding Company (Ganope) in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Aldrees Petroleum and Transport Services CompanyCompany, covers more than 100,000 square kilometres, roughly 10% of Egypt’s land area.

The project uses advanced seismic technology to map potential oil and gas reservoirs, reduce exploration risks in the underexplored region, and accelerate drilling operations. Badawy instructed that data from the survey be processed alongside field operations to produce early results, supporting the marketing of investment opportunities at the Egypt Energy Show (EGYPES 2026) next year.

The ongoing 2D seismic survey spans the west Assiut and Dakhla regions, both largely unexplored geological basins, with survey lines extending 5,233 kilometres. The project is expected to be completed within 12 months.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: Y.Yasser