Cairo: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, inspected the drilling operations of the “Khendjer-1” exploratory well in the North El-Dabaa area of the Mediterranean, which is part of the concession areas held by the U.S. energy company Chevron. The visit is part of the ministry’s efforts to monitor new exploration activities in the Mediterranean aimed at boosting natural gas production.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the minister was briefed on the ongoing drilling operations, which began earlier this month. This is part of the petroleum sector’s plan to increase exploration and drilling activities in order to discover new gas reserves in promising areas such as the western Mediterranean, which is one of the key regions attracting investment interest.

During his meeting with Chevron’s team, the minister emphasized the importance of accelerating the pace of drilling at the “Khendjer-1” well, highlighting that the collaboration between the petroleum sector and Chevron helps
capitalize on promising opportunities in the Mediterranean, yielding positive outcomes for Egypt’s economy through the development of untapped resources.

Kristian Svendsen, Chevron’s Regional Manager for Emerging Countries, expressed his pride in the minister’s visit to the offshore platform for the “Khendjer-1” well, coinciding with the start of drilling operations, particularly after the arrival of the advanced “Stena Forth” drilling rig from Morocco. He added that the minister’s visit provides an opportunity to showcase the latest deep-water drilling technologies employed by Chevron, contributing to the optimal utilization of Egypt’s offshore energy potential with the highest safety and security standards.

These explorations are part of the petroleum sector’s efforts to achieve its strategic goals of increasing natural gas production to achieve self-sufficiency and enhance Egypt’s position as a regional energy hub.