Energy firms Eni and Apache plan gas output boost in Egypt

Italian energy firm Eni aims to produce around 120mn cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of natural gas from two new wells at Egypt’s Zohr field in the Mediterranean by November, according to a government official cited by Asharq Business on August 20. 

The additional drilling project is part of Eni’s agreement with the Petroleum Ministry to offset the natural production decline and maintain output levels.

Zohr, the largest natural gas field ever discovered in the Mediterranean, is now producing about 1.38bn cubic feet per day, down from 1.5bn at the beginning of 2025. The decline is attributed to natural depletion, with output dropping by roughly 60 mmcfd each month, equivalent to 2 mmcfd per day. The new wells are expected to help stabilise production.

In parallel, US-based Apache Corporation announced plans to boost its natural gas production in Egypt by 70 mmcfd in Q4 2025, according to Economy Plus.

The increase will follow the completion of new processing and infrastructure upgrades in the Western Desert, raising its output by about 15% to 550 mmcfd. Apache, through its joint venture Khalda Petroleum, has intensified exploration and drilling activities, encouraged by the relative attractiveness of gas prices compared to crude oil.

A report from the MES Energy platform in August showed that the natural gas production in Egypt dropped by 3% quarter-on-quarter (q/q) in Q2 2025, averaging 4.16bn bcf/d, down from 4.30 bcf/d in Q1. The production in June dipped slightly by less than 1% from May to 4.12 bcf/d, remaining 805mn cubic feet per day below the same month last year.

Earlier in August, Israel’s NewMed Energy, a partner in the Leviathan gas field, announced that it had signed a major amendment with Egypt’s Ocean Energy to its existing gas export deal.

The historic $35bn contract signed on August 7 is the largest export contract in Israel’s history, according to NewMed Energy. The deal involves selling approximately 130bn cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Egypt through 2040 or until the contracted volume is fulfilled.