Egypt domestic petroleum, gas supplies fully met since July 2025: Ministry

Ahram Online , Monday 2 Feb 2026

Egypt’s domestic supply of petroleum and gas products has been fully met since July 2025, with production increasing and stabilizing by the end of the year, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Egypt's cabinet

For 2026, the ministry plans to drill 101 exploratory wells to boost oil and gas reserves, increase local production, and continue meeting market demand, relying on partnerships with the private sector, Minister of Petroleum Karim Badawi told the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Egypt.

Badawi credited the sector’s growth to incentives, reforms, and regular payments of arrears to foreign partners. Egypt has paid approximately $5 billion so far. Outstanding payments to foreign oil and gas partners stood at $6.1 billion as of 30 June 2024 and are expected to drop to around $1.2 billion by 30 June 2026.

The ministry also plans to implement major projects between 2026 and 2030 to achieve self-sufficiency in petroleum products and further develop the refining sector.

Egypt is planning regional cooperation, including with Cyprus, to expand gas infrastructure with a total capacity of 2.75 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas.

State-run $1.4 billion petroleum refinery MIDOR is set to expand from 100,000 to 160,000 barrels per day, raising its annual production to 245,000 tons of LPG, 2.3 million tons of diesel, and 1.3 million tons of high-octane fuel.

The energy sector is one of five priority sectors in Egypt’s new economic development narrative, which aims to raise real GDP to 7.5 percent by 2030 and create 1.5 million new jobs. The plan also targets increasing the mining sector’s GDP contribution to five or six percent, expanding industrial development, attracting local and foreign investment, boosting trade, and advancing the green transition.

The plan sets an annual foreign direct investment (FDI) target of $24.6 billion and total exports at $145 billion by 2030.

Further expansion is planned in the green energy sector, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and green ammonia production with state-owned fertilizer firm MOPCO and Norwegian renewable energy firm Scatec. The plan also includes increasing mining output through developing the Arabian-Nubian Shield region.

Egypt’s petroleum imports reached $6.4 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025/2026, including around $1.1 billion in natural gas and $3.42 billion in crude oil. Exports increased by about eight percent to $1.3 billion, driven by a $31.6 million rise in natural gas exports and a $57.8 million increase in crude oil exports.