• Egypt’s new offshore field West El Burullus started output at 45 million cubic feet per day, with a target of 75 million cubic feet per day after two additional wells.

• Egypt’s gas demand averaged 6.03 bcf/d in April 2025, while supply reached only 3.48 bcf/d.

• Production at Zohr, the country’s largest field, continues to decline as it reaches maturity, intensifying supply shortages.

Egypt has faced gas-supply challenges for more than a year as production from the giant Zohr field declines. The country already reported shortages affecting electricity supply in 2023 and 2024.

A new offshore gas field has now entered production, adding fresh capacity to Egypt’s energy system. International media reported on 17 November that the West El Burullus field, located in the western Nile Delta, achieved its initial natural gas output.

Cheiron, the local operator of the project, said the first well is producing about 45 million cubic feet per day. The company has started injecting this volume into the national grid. It plans to bring two additional wells online in the coming months to lift total project output to nearly 75 million cubic feet per day.

The development of West El Burullus follows the final investment decision taken by Cheiron in 2023. The launch comes as Egypt seeks to stabilise and expand its gas supply. Although the additional volumes remain small at the national scale, they add to a system facing declining production.

The start-up occurs while domestic gas demand stays strong. Egyptian media reported in April 2025 that average daily demand reached 6.03 billion cubic feet, whereas production averaged only 3.48 billion cubic feet per day.

Egypt produced about 4.87 billion cubic feet per day in 2024, according to economic data published that year. Consumption reached 5.81 billion cubic feet per day in December 2023, based on CEIC Data figures.

In September 2025, Ecofin Agency reported that major international oil and gas companies continue to play a leading role in slowing Egypt’s production decline. The government supports these efforts through four exploration agreements covering the drilling of ten wells in the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum