At the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC 2025), Egypt underscored its ambition to cement its position as a regional energy hub, leveraging its infrastructure and geo-strategic location to serve the broader Middle East and Mediterranean markets.
Speaking at the ministerial session, Karim Badawi, Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, emphasised that the country is actively expanding its energy-ties and investing in its upstream, midstream and downstream capabilities.
Badawi highlighted a number of strategic partnerships. He noted cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, through which Cypriot gas will be exported via Egyptian facilities following agreements signed in October to develop the Cronos gas field in Block 6 — a deal seen as pivotal for reaching the Final Investment Decision (FID). He also pointed to the partnership with Arcius Energy from the United Arab Emirates, referencing the US$109 million investment into Egypt’s North Damietta offshore zone in the Mediterranean, in partnership with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).
In laying out Egypt’s sector priorities, Badawi said the country is fast-tracking E&P activity — both oil and gas — while striving for a more balanced energy mix that marries traditional hydrocarbon production with renewables and value-added downstream industries such as petrochemicals and refining. He also flagged the mining sector as a strategic pillar, stressing that Egypt is not only focusing on extraction of critical minerals for energy transition technologies, but also on developing downstream capacity to lock in the full economic value chain.
On the sidelines, Badawi held a series of meetings with major international oil companies (IOCs). In discussions with SLB (led by CEO Olivier Le Peuch) he reviewed plans for a 95,000 km² ocean-bottom node (OBN) seismic survey in the East Mediterranean — part of the wider Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) digital investment platform. With bp (CEO Murray Auchincloss), he discussed accelerating gas production in existing fields such as Raven, employing advanced seismic data to underpin new drilling campaigns. Meetings with Halliburton and Baker Hughes covered drilling, enhanced oil-recovery technologies, and gas-storage solutions, while talks with Huawei Technologies explored digitalisation of Egypt’s petroleum infrastructure via AI, field-management systems and solar power integration.
Inviting the global energy community, Minister Badawi extended an open invitation to attend the forthcoming Egypt International Energy Conference (EGYPES) 2026 in Cairo, positioning the country as a focal point for investment, technology transfer and regional energy trade.
Overall, Egypt’s presence at ADIPEC 2025 signals a concerted push to upgrade its upstream performance, bolster export-capabilities, build downstream value, and integrate critical-minerals and digital innovation into its energy mix — all underpinned by its ambition to serve as a regional energy nexus.
