UAE-based Dana Gas has confirmed a fresh gas discovery in Egypt’s onshore Nile Delta, underscoring renewed upstream momentum as Cairo seeks to shore up domestic energy supply amid regional market pressures.
The North El-Basant 1 exploratory well is estimated to hold 15–25bn cubic feet of recoverable gas, with initial production expected to exceed 8m standard cubic feet per day once tied into Egypt’s national grid. The find is part of Dana Gas’s $100m drilling and development programme, launched this year and spanning 11 wells over two years.
The programme aims to add around 80bn cubic feet of recoverable reserves, while recent drilling and well completions have already lifted output by roughly 30m cubic feet per day, according to the company. Dana Gas plans to drill an additional exploration well in early 2026, extending activity across its Nile Delta acreage under revised fiscal terms agreed with EGAS, Egypt’s state gas company.
Chief executive Richard Hall said the expanded local production would help reduce Egypt’s dependence on imported LNG and fuel oil, potentially generating more than $1bn in long-term savings for the economy.
The discovery comes as Egypt recalibrates its ambition to act as an Eastern Mediterranean gas hub. While the country continues to liquefy gas for export to Europe, recent supply constraints have forced greater prioritisation of domestic demand, sharpening the importance of incremental onshore discoveries such as North El-Basant.
