Egypt in discussions with Qatar to secure long-term natural gas contracts
This occurred during an Egyptian delegation's visit to Doha on Monday, led by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi.
Minister Badawi was accompanied by Yassin Mohamed, executive managing director of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), and Moataz Atef, undersecretary of the minister's technical office and ministry spokesperson.
During their meeting, the two sides discussed ways to accelerate the launch of joint natural gas projects and sign long-term contracts for natural gas supply from the Qatari side to help Egypt secure its domestic gas supply needs.
The ministry said the move aims to avoid shortages in natural gas supplies essential for Egypt's electricity-generating plants.
After nearly three years of dwindling natural gas production, unmet domestic demand, and rising reliance on imports, the government is now signalling a potential return to a net gas exporter status by 2027, marking a major shift in the country’s energy outlook.
Since January, the cabinet has revealed a series of positive developments.
Most notably, Egypt signed an agreement with Cyprus that could significantly boost its gas supply. Under the deal, gas from Cyprus’s largest offshore fields, Cronos in the southwest and Aphrodite in the southeast, will be piped to Egypt.
Once in the Egyptian waters, the gas will be processed at the liquefaction plants in Idku and Damietta.
From there, it will be re-exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG), primarily to European markets.
Last summer, Egypt experienced unprecedented power outages due to a significant shortage in natural gas supplies caused by escalating regional tensions.
In March, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat assured the parliament that power cuts would be avoided with plans underway to add 2 gigawatts of new capacity before the summer of 2025.
“Our strategy is centred on efficient resource use, economic operation, and strengthening supply — especially during peak months,” Esmat said.
In addition, both sides discussed enhancing energy infrastructure integration between the two countries to serve their mutual interests, given their significant capabilities in the LNG trade, liquefaction, and regasification sectors.
They also explored ways to boost cooperation in exploration and production and increase output from QatarEnergy’s concession areas in Egypt. QatarEnergy is a key partner in Egypt's exploration and production gateway, EUG.
Additionally, they reviewed the status of QatarEnergy’s drilling plans, particularly for the Nefertari, Cairo, Masry, and North Marakia wells in the Mediterranean region, where the company partners with global energy giant ExxonMobil.