Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi ordered on Sunday, August 15, 2026, stepping up efforts to connect the Harmattan offshore gas field to production facilities, seeking to bring the field online sooner and boost domestic gas supplies. During a visit to the production site of Pharaonic Petroleum Company in Port Said, Badawi called for studying all technical solutions and alternatives that could shorten the project's timetable and enable Egypt to benefit from the field's reserves and production potential.
The minister reviewed the company's drilling and exploration programs and field development activities in the Mediterranean, with particular focus on the Harmattan gas field. He stressed the importance of using the latest technologies in drilling and exploration to improve success rates and maximize the use of Egypt's gas resources.
Badawi also praised the company's safety systems and called for their continued development in line with international standards, stressing the need to maintain the highest safety levels at all work sites. Pharaonic Petroleum Chairman Hossam Zaki said the company achieved 100% of its production target during the 2025-2026 fiscal year and outlined plans to increase natural gas and condensate production while maximizing the use of existing infrastructure.
The Harmattan field development project targets production of around 200 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, in addition to 4,400 barrels per day of petroleum condensates. Zaki said technical solutions are currently being studied to accelerate the field's development schedule.
The field will be connected to the Hapiya processing facility through a 50-km gas pipeline, with ENPPI serving as the main contractor in cooperation with Petrojet and Petroleum Marine Services (PMS). The company also reviewed exploration and production opportunities in the Ras El Bar, North Damietta and Al-Borg areas.
The Tort-6 well is scheduled to begin production before the end of the year at a targeted rate of 40 million cubic feet of gas per day. Exploration plans also include drilling the West Atoll exploratory well using the Valaris DS-12 rig, with investments of around $91 million and a target depth of 6,000 meters, as well as the Benio well in the Ras El Bar area.
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