Egypt is in discussions with Qatar to secure natural gas supplies through long-term agreements, aiming to meet domestic energy demands ahead of the summer season.
Qatari and Egyptian officials have held high-level talks in Doha to strengthen bilateral energy cooperation, with a focus on accelerating joint projects and finalising gas supply agreements to support Egypt’s electricity generation.
The meeting on Monday was led by Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi. He welcomed an Egyptian delegation headed by Karim Badawi, Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.
The Egyptian delegation also included Yassin Mohamed, executive managing director of the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), and Moataz Atef, undersecretary at the technical office and spokesperson for the ministry.
In a statement shared on social media, Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said the meeting “addressed ways to expedite the commencement of joint natural gas projects and the signing of long-term contracts for the supply of natural gas from the Qatari side, in a manner that contributes to securing natural gas supplies to meet local demand.”
The ministry added that “the talks also covered enhancing integration between the two countries in terms of energy infrastructure, serving mutual interests in light of the significant capabilities both countries possess in the field of LNG trading, liquefaction, and regasification activities.”
Since the start of the year, Egypt has pursued a series of energy initiatives to stabilise its domestic supply and expand export capacity. Among the most significant is an agreement with Cyprus to transport natural gas from the offshore Cronos and Aphrodite fields to Egypt’s liquefaction terminals in Idku and Damietta, where it will be processed for re-export — primarily to Europe.
The push comes after Egypt experienced widespread electricity blackouts last summer, driven by a sharp drop in gas supplies and mounting regional pressures.
In March, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat told parliament that the government plans to add two gigawatts of new generation capacity by the summer of 2025 to prevent a repeat of last year’s outages, according to Reuters.
Beyond gas supply agreements, officials discussed enhancing upstream collaboration, particularly in accelerating exploration in QatarEnergy’s concession areas in Egypt. Attention was given to ongoing drilling plans in the Mediterranean, including the Nefertari, Cairo, Masry, and North Marakia wells, where QatarEnergy partners with ExxonMobil.
Al-Kaabi reaffirmed QatarEnergy’s interest in expanding its exploration and investment activities in Egypt. This includes a recent agreement with EGAS and Chevron, under which QatarEnergy acquired a share in Chevron’s stake in the North Dabaa offshore concession.
Discussions also highlighted the potential for increased involvement of Egyptian energy firms in Qatar’s energy sector, particularly in design, construction, maintenance, and operations across oil, gas, and renewables.
