{
  "id": 1468547,
  "title": "Petroleum Minister orders faster development of Harmattan offshore gas field",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/petroleum-minister-orders-faster-development-of-harmattan-offshore",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-17T10:48:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Egypt Independent",
    "slug": "egypt-independent",
    "url": "https://www.egyptindependent.com/petroleum-minister-orders-faster-development-of-harmattan-offshore-gas-field/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi ordered on Sunday, August 15, 2026, to expedite the development of the Harmattan offshore gas field, seeking to bring it online sooner and increase domestic gas supplies. During a visit to the Pharaonic Petroleum Company's production site in Port Said, Badawi emphasized the need to explore all technical solutions to shorten the project timeline and enable Egypt to take advantage of the field's reserves and production potential. The minister examined the company's drilling and exploration programs and field development activities in the Mediterranean, focusing on the Harmattan gas field. He emphasized the importance of utilizing the latest technologies in drilling and exploration to enhance success rates and maximize the utilization of Egypt's gas resources. Badawi also commended the company's safety systems and called for their continued development according to international standards, underscoring the necessity of maintaining the highest safety levels at all work sites. The Pharaonic Petroleum Chairman, Hossam Zaki, reported that the company met its production target of 100% during the 2025-2026 fiscal year and discussed plans to boost natural gas and condensate production while optimizing the use of existing infrastructure. The Harmattan field development project aims to produce approximately 200 million cubic feet of natural gas daily and 4,400 barrels per day of petroleum condensates. Zaki stated that technical solutions are currently being evaluated to accelerate the field's development schedule. The field will be linked to the Hapiya processing facility through a 50-kilometer gas pipeline, with ENPPI serving as the primary contractor in collaboration with Petrojet and Petroleum Marine Services (PMS). The company also evaluated opportunities for exploration and production in the Ras El Bar, North Damietta, and Al-Borg regions. The Tort-6 well is set to commence production by the end of the year at a target rate of 40 million cubic feet of gas daily. Exploration plans also involve drilling the West Atoll exploratory well using the Valaris DS-12 rig, with investments of around $91 million, a target depth of 6,000 meters, and the Benio well in the Ras El Bar area.",
  "summary": "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 … The post Petroleum Minister orders faster…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}