TotalEnergies eyes more natural gas exploration projects in Egypt

French energy major TotalEnergies (EPA:TTE) has announced plans to expand its natural gas exploration and production activities in Egypt, Al Masry Al Youm reported on April 30, quoting the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi.

TotalEnergies said earlier it was initiating negotiations for an intensive natural gas exploration programme in the deep waters of the Herodotus Basin in the Western Mediterranean. 

The development followed a high-level meeting between Badawi and Pascal Breant, TotalEnergies’ Managing Director for Egypt and Cyprus. The talks focused on reviving and accelerating exploration efforts that had been under review earlier in April.

Badawi said that the petroleum sector is prioritising the creation of an attractive investment climate for strategic partners. The approach is central to the ministry’s vision of gradually increasing domestic production to reduce reliance on costly energy imports.

The minister noted the region’s promising potential and robust infrastructure as key drivers for international firms. The government aims to fast-track the development of new gas finds to meet both local demand and export ambitions. Pascal Breant said that TotalEnergies views Egypt as a strategic market, expressing the company’s intent to strengthen its Mediterranean footprint.

Both parties have agreed to accelerate technical coordination, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expected to be signed shortly. The agreement will pave the way for joint exploration projects, in another sign of confidence in Egypt’s long-term energy security.

Throughout April 2026, Egypt’s energy sector has seen a major resurgence as Italian energy group Eni (BIT:ENI) announced a significant 2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) gas discovery at the Denise W-1 well, while Arcius Energy, the bp (LSE:BP)-ADNOC joint venture, reached a $500mn final Investment decision to develop the Harmattan field.