Saturday 04/April/2026 – 11:42 PM
An official source at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources revealed the arrival of a new rig belonging to the Italian company Eni, within a period ranging from one and a half to two months, as part of plans to intensify drilling and development work in the Zohr natural gas field.
The source explained to Cairo 24 that the new rig will be used to drill two new wells inside the field, which will contribute to supporting production rates and enhancing the field’s capabilities during the coming period, in light of the state’s intention to increase natural gas production and secure the needs of the local market.
He pointed out that this step comes within the ministry’s strategy to cooperate with foreign partners, led by Eni, to accelerate development processes and raise production efficiency from existing fields.
Earlier, engineer Karim Badawi testified Minister of Petroleum And Mineral Resources, and Diego Portoghesi, President of the North Africa and Levant Region of the Italian company Eni, signed a binding memorandum of intent between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Eni, with the aim of renewing commitment to the North Port Said region, which reflects mutual trust and the common desire to expand the horizons of strategic cooperation between the two sides.
The commitment includes the North Port Said region, the strategic Al-Jamil facilities, which is a major gas processing center for current and future projects in the region.
The memorandum was signed by Engineer Salah Abdel Karim, CEO of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, and Francesco Gaspari, General Manager of Eni in Egypt, in the presence of Engineer Mahmoud Abu Al-Yazid, Deputy General Manager of Eni in Egypt.
The memorandum sets out the basic principles of the future work programme, and represents a preliminary step towards concluding subsequent agreements aimed at setting a framework for new investment commitments.
