Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has announced 18 new oil and gas discoveries across the New Delta, Eastern Desert, and Western Desert, marking one of the strongest exploration years since the pandemic.

Minister Karim Badawi said the sector continues to post “significant exploration successes,” with the new finds expected to strengthen domestic energy security and gradually reduce import needs.

Egypt remains a net importer of LNG and refined fuels, according to the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI)— a global partnership that collects and publishes official energy data from participating countries.

In the Nile Delta, two new gas wells were brought onstream for the first time in two years: the North Sidi Ghazi 9-1 discovery by Harbour Energy (LSE:HBR) through Desouq Petroleum, and the Salma Delta-6 find by Dana Gas (ADX:DANA) via Al-Wastani Petroleum. Combined output is about 19mn cubic feet (mmcf), or 538,000 cubic metres of gas per day, according to operator data.

In the Western Desert, Khalda Petroleum confirmed the SHAI-3X and WD 33J-1X discoveries, yielding over 3,550 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 23 mmcf (651,000 cubic metres) per day of gas. Additional finds were reported by Agiba Petroleum (a joint venture between EGPC and Eni (BIT:ENI)), the General Petroleum Corporation (GPC), and Petrosnan, each producing between 350 bpd and 1,000 bpd.

Meanwhile, PetroBkr and Cairn Energy (LSE:CNE) achieved three new finds across the Eastern and Western Deserts that are now undergoing reserve testing. The ministry said the latest wells uncovered new geological layers, encouraging deeper drilling and use of AI-assisted well-optimisation tools, which are still at pilot stage.

Since July 2025, 13 of the 18 discoveries have entered production, adding roughly 14,000 bpd and 44 mmcf, or1.25mn cubic metres (mcm) of gas per day to national output. Egypt’s total petroleum production currently averages 1.45 mn barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day, about 55% gas, according to JODI.

The discoveries come as Cairo seeks to boost gas exports to Europe via the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) and consolidate its position as a regional processing and re-export hub.

Shares in Harbour Energy rose 1.4% in London and Dana Gas gained 0.8% in Abu Dhabi following the announcement, extending recent gains on firming regional gas prices.

Officials said Egypt’s petroleum sector continues to integrate digital and AI technologies to improve field efficiency and cut flaring in line with the 2030 Energy Transition Strategy. Final reserve certification for the new discoveries is under review by the Egypt Oil & Gas Portal and will be reported under OECD-aligned disclosure standards.