Author: Rigs & Barge World

Equinor announced that production began on September 19 at the Askeladd Vest subsea field in the Barents Sea, boosting long-term gas supplies to Norway’s Melkøya liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. The new development includes two wells installed on a subsea template tied back to the Askeladd field, which started production in 2022. Grete B. Haaland, senior vice president for Exploration and Production North at Equinor, stated, “Askeladd Vest is a key phase in developing the Snøhvit field. Also it will support maintaining full production at Hammerfest LNG, located on Melkøya Island, is Northern Europe’s only LNG production and export facility.…

Egypt and TotalEnergies discussed enhancing joint cooperation, with new investment opportunities available through the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) for oil and gas exploration in offshore and onshore areas. This came during the meeting between Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Pascal Breant, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Exploration and Production in Egypt. The meeting further reviewed regional cooperation in developing gas resources and optimizing the use of infrastructure, which contributes to supporting Egypt’s plans as a regional energy hub. During the meeting, Badawi emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation with the company to support the Ministry’s strategy, which…

As part of his Visit to Amman, Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, met with Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, to discuss the cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector. The two ministers stressed the importance of building on their cooperation in natural gas, which utilizes existing infrastructure, including the gas network connecting Egypt and Jordan, as well as the liquefied natural gas (LNG) import system, while also promoting the exchange of technical expertise. In July, the two ministers witnessed the commissioning of the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU)…

The Natural Gas Vehicles Company (Cargas) received a delegation from the Nigerian Petroleum Sector, which was briefed on the  Egyptian experience in converting cars to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), as one of the most prominent environmental and economic solutions in the alternative energy sector. The delegation also listened to a detailed explanation of the conversion mechanisms and the modern technologies used, in addition to a review of the environmental and economic benefits associated with using natural gas as a clean and cost-effective fuel. Cargas specialises in converting gasoline-powered vehicles to run on CNG.  It operates and expands CNG…

Agiba Petroleum Company, a joint venture between the Egyptian Petroleum Company (EGPC) and the Italian energy giant Eni, has increased the production rates from its Iris and Arcadia West areas in the Western Desert to 12,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d ), thanks to the Iris-5 well beginning operation, adding 2,000 barrels per day (b/d). The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoMPR) noted that the use of advanced technologies, including 3D seismic surveying, has opened new opportunities for exploration in the Western Desert. This has helped maximize the potential of the Masajid geological formation, increasing production of the…

The Global Hydrogen Organization (GH2) has called for urgent action to unlock innovative financing tools and build stronger demand for green hydrogen in Egypt and the wider MENA region. The call was made during the 2025 Cairo Regional Forum on Financing Renewables, Green Hydrogen, and Green Ammonia, organized by the GH2 International Green Hydrogen Centre of Excellence at Nile University in Giza. GH2 is a non-profit foundation aiming to accelerate the production and use of green hydrogen across a range of sectors as a cornerstone of the energy transition. “Our mission is to help the large-scale green hydrogen economy grow…

Global natural gas demand rose to 4,122 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2024, marking a 1.9% year-on-year increase, driven mainly by strong consumption in Asia and North America. This growth was fueled primarily by the power generation sector, with extreme summer heatwaves boosting gas-fired electricity needs, according to the International Gas Union’s (IGU) Global Gas Report 2025. On the supply side, global output rose by 65 Bcm, reaching 4,090 Bcm, led by hikes in outputs in the Middle East and Russia, with smaller increases in Asia and North America. Regional demand patterns diverged in H1 2025, with Europe leading at…

Yassin Mohamed, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and supervisor of environment, safety, energy efficiency, and climate, visited Methanex Egypt’s factory in Damietta Governorate. Reflecting the ministry’s commitment to embedding a culture of occupational health and process safety as a strategic pillar of the sector, the visit highlighted the long-standing partnership with Methanex to strengthen process safety systems across petroleum, gas, and petrochemical operations. It featured a field tour of the site to review operational processes, control and prevention mechanisms, and the safety systems in place. Moreover, the Methanex Egypt team showcased the company’s achievements in…

The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have agreed to expand future cooperation and increase the contribution of Egyptian petroleum companies to development projects in Nigeria. This comes on the back of the experience that Egyptian petroleum companies have in operating projects in different African countries, as well as the good track record that the Egyptian Projects Operation and Maintenance (EPROM) has in operating Nigeria’s refineries. The agreement was made during the visit of a NNPC delegation to Egypt, where it met with Salah Abdel Kerim, EGPC Chairman. Additionally, Abdel Kerim noted that Egypt’s…

The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, received Abby Badwi, CEO of Canadian Tag Oil,  operating in Egypt’s Badr-1 field in the Western Desert, to discuss the company’s plans to expand its exploration and production activities, particularly from unconventional resources. Egypt’s Minister said that the Western Desert still has promising oil and gas resources, noting that the petroleum sector is committed to cooperating with international companies to utilize cutting-edge technologies in exploiting these resources. For his part, the company’s CEO explained that Tag Oil has an ambitious plan to grow its operations in the Western Desert, utilize unconventional…