Khalda Petroleum Company, a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Apache Corporation, has started producing natural gas from the new South NUT-1 well in Egypt’s Western Desert. The well is currently producing approximately 50 million cubic feet per day (mcf/d) of natural gas, a significant boost to local output.
This achievement is part of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ first strategic pillar, which focuses on boosting exploration and increasing domestic production to reduce the country’s reliance on imports.
The output also marks another key achievement for the partnership between Egypt’s petroleum sector and Apache Corporation, according to the Ministry’s statement. Their joint efforts in the Western Desert have already led to a significant boost in natural gas production, with Khalda’s fields alone contributing an additional output of over 200 mcf/d since a recent agreement was signed to invest in natural gas production.
This additional production is equivalent to up to two shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports per month, supporting the ministry’s approach to reduce the gas import bill by increasing local production.