Badr El-Din Petroleum Company (BAPETCO) plans to start production of a new well in the Badr 15 area in the Western Desert by the end of this month at a rate of around 15 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) of natural gas, alongside 500 barrels per day (bbl/d) of condensates, according to a statement by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoPMR).
The update was presented during Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, inspection tour of BAPETCO’s fields in the Western Desert, where he witnessed hydraulic fracturing operations at the newly discovered well.
Badawi asserted that the ministry has paved the way for the expansion of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies, which are among the most important advanced technologies that help maximize well productivity and increase crude oil production rates. Thereby, this supports the implementation of the ministry’s strategy aimed at increasing local production and reducing reliance on imports, Badawi added.
Horizontal drilling involves drilling vertically and then turning horizontally to access more of an oil or gas reservoir. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) injects high-pressure fluid into the horizontal section to crack the rock and release trapped hydrocarbons more efficiently.
He added that increasing local production remains crucial to easing the burden of petroleum products and liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, whose costs have risen significantly in recent periods to meet domestic demand. He noted that every additional barrel produced locally contributes positively to Egypt’s economy and strengthens the country’s energy security.
During the visit, BAPETCO Chairman Khaled Abdelsalam and the company’s technical team also reviewed the results of hydraulic fracturing activities during the current fiscal year.
The company has completed 40 successful hydraulic fracturing operations, adding more than 10,000 bbl/d of oil and over 15 mmcf/d of natural gas to production through the application of advanced global technologies in the design and execution of operations.
BAPETCO is a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and UK Shell. The well, discovered in November 2025, is expected to add around 15 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas to Egypt’s reserves.
