Egypt and Qatar plan to sign long-term contracts for the supply of Qatari natural gas to meet Egypt’s domestic energy needs, Al Ahram reported on May 12. 

This follows a meeting between Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, and Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, to discuss accelerating joint natural gas projects. Badawi presented potential investment opportunities in Egypt’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors for Qatar to consider.

Both sides explored enhancing cooperation in energy infrastructure, particularly in liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading, liquefaction, and regasification. Talks included increasing collaboration in research and exploration activities to expand output from QatarEnergy’s concession areas in Egypt, where it is a key player in the Egypt Exploration and Production Gateway (EUG).

The two ministers reviewed the progress of QatarEnergy's drilling operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The operations included the Nefertari, Cairo, and Masry projects, which are being executed in partnership with US major ExxonMobil.

Al-Kaabi said QatarEnergy is interested in expanding its operations and investments in Egypt. The company agreed with Egypt’s EGAS, and Chevron to acquire a stake in Chevron’s shares in the North El-Dabaa offshore block.

The Egyptian government is trying to increase its gas exploration activities amid rising demand and lower production from the main Zohr field and other concessions. The gas shortage led to nationwide power cuts in mid-2024. The government has signed several agreements with Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Eni to expand their drilling operations.