meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Egypt gas project activity collapses amid energy crisis

27 February 2025

 

The total value of active Egyptian gas projects has fallen by 79% despite a steep decline in domestic gas output that has ramped up the need for costly imports.

At the start of 2019, the total value of active gas projects in Egypt was $41.5bn. This has now sunk to $8.6bn, according to data from regional project tracker MEED Projects.

Despite the billions of dollars of investment that has been sunk into upstream projects in Egypt’s gas sector in recent years, production has been dropping after it peaked in 2021, according to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

In 2021, Egypt produced 67.8 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas. This fell to 64.5 bcm in 2022 and 57.1 bcm in 2023.

In May 2024, Egypt’s domestic gas output hit a six-year low, down by about 25% from its 2021 peak.

Declining domestic production has led to a severe energy shortage in Egypt.

Last year, the North African country had to resort to load-shedding to keep its grid functioning amid a lack of gas supply and rising demand, while the deepening energy crisis strained Cairo’s budget as it grappled with a heavy subsidies bill.

In the past 12 months, Gulf countries have had to help Egypt finance liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports worth billions of dollars to try and ease the country’s crisis.

Egypt had planned to become a regional gas hub and a major exporter after Italy’s Eni discovered the Zohr offshore field in 2015.

When Zohr started production in 2017, Egypt’s oil and gas ministry said that the field would produce 2.7 billion cubic feet a day (bcf/d) until 2039, but after rising to a peak at 3.2 bcf/d in 2019 output fell to just 1.9 bcf/d in the first half of 2024.

Production outlook

The collapse in the total value of gas projects in Egypt does not bode well for future domestic gas production – and signals that the country may remain reliant on costly gas imports for some time to come.

In addition, many of Egypt’s biggest active gas projects remain at the study stage with significant uncertainty about when execution will start and new production will be brought online.

A total of $5.1bn of all of Egypt’s active gas projects are currently in the study stage, making up 60% of active gas projects in the country.

Meanwhile, 12% of active gas projects are at the bid evaluation stage and 27% are currently under execution.

Last year, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company launched an international bid round for the exploration and exploitation of natural gas and crude oil across 12 blocks in the Mediterranean and Nile Delta, as part of an initiative to try to boost production.

The 12 blocks were comprised of 10 offshore blocks and two onshore blocks.

While this initiative is promising, it is expected that Egypt’s efforts to attract bidders could be held back by recent problems with prompt payments to international oil companies (IOCs).

The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has accrued arrears to IOCs, estimated at $4bn-$5bn. 

These debts have arisen due to a combination of foreign exchange shortages, as well as other structural issues, including declining domestic gas production, rising domestic consumption that limits gas export opportunities, and increased subsidies provided by EGPC to the electricity sector.

While gas project activity has plummeted since the start of 2019, oil project activity has seen a slight uptick, according to MEED Projects.

At the beginning of 2019, the total value of all active oil projects in Egypt was $15.2bn. As of 11 February 2024, this had risen by 15% to $17.6bn.

Economic issues are expected to hamper the development and execution of projects in the oil and gas sectors in 2025.  

Inflation is rising, the Egyptian pound is continuing to lose value and millions of Egyptians are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis.

Inflation stood at 24% in December 2024 and Egypt’s debt-to-GDP ratio remains high, at 89% for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The low value of the Egyptian pound is likely to cause significant problems to those that want to execute large-scale projects in Egypt’s oil and gas sectors, as it is likely to increase the cost of importing raw materials and equipment.

In December, the European Commission announced a plan to disburse €1bn ($1.05bn) in loans to help Egypt cover part of its financing needs for the fiscal year 2024-25 and “ensure macroeconomic stability”.

Financial support has also been provided by the IMF, the World Bank and the UAE.

However, with Egypt’s perilous economic situation hampering project development and a failure to execute strategic projects constraining economic growth, it is possible that the North African country will be reliant on significant assistance from its foreign partners for energy imports for some time to come.

MEED’s March 2025 special report on Egypt includes:

> COMMENT: Egypt battles structural issues
> GOVERNMENT: Egypt is in the eye of Trump’s Gaza storm
> ECONOMY: Egypt’s economy gets its mojo back
> OIL & GAS: Egypt gas project activity collapses amid energy crisis
> POWER & WATER: Egypt’s utility projects keep pace
> CONSTRUCTION: Coastal city scheme is a boon to Egypt construction

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13387757/main.gif
Wil Crisp

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Decision imminent on Dubai sewerage tunnel contracts

    24 April 2026

     

    A final decision on the first two packages of the flagship Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project is imminent, with two remaining bidders having submitted best and final offers. 

    The AED80bn ($22bn) public-private partnership (PPP) scheme comprises three packages: J, W and Links.

    According to a source, two consortiums led by Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) and Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) were recently invited to submit final bids for packages J and W, which were tendered last November.

    The winning consortium is expected to be formally confirmed in the coming weeks once the required approval process is completed, the source said.

    MEED had previously reported that three consortiums were bidding for the project, which is being procured by Dubai Municipality’s sewerage and recycled water projects department.

    These included:

    • Consortium 1: Led by Plenary Group (Australia) alongside Itochu (Japan) and Infrastructure Holding (UAE) 
    • Consortium 2: Led by Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) alongside Suez Water Company (France)
    • Consortium 3: Led by Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) alongside Tamasuk Holding (Saudi Arabia) and Alkhorayef Water & Power (Saudi Arabia)

    It is understood that the consortium led by Pleneray Group has since been dropped from consideration for the contract.

    As MEED previously reported, the bid packages include equity partners, an appointed operator and a construction contractor.

    Of the bidders still in contention, MEED understands that Vision Invest plans to act as operator for that consortium, while Suez will lead construction.

    In the other consortium, EtihadWE plans to take the operator role, with construction led by France’s Veolia.

    Large-scale sewerage network

    The DSST masterplan project covers the construction of two sets of deep tunnels terminating at pump stations at Warsan and Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). It also includes over 200 kilometres of sewer links.

    Construction work was previously categorised in multiple packages under the Warsan Strategic Tunnel Scheme (Package W) and the Jebel Ali Strategic Sewerage Scheme (J1 North, J2 South, J3 Jebel Ali Links).

    These packages have now been restructured and renamed.

    The bid submission deadline for the third 'Phase 2 Links' package, meanwhile, was recently extended.

    The new deadline is June 30. 

    The three packages are being procured under 30-year design, build, finance, operate and maintain concession models.

    The DSST project aims to convert Dubai’s sewerage system from a pumped network to a gravity-based system, enabling the emirate to replace existing sewage pumping stations and meet long-term capacity needs.

    The programme also marks the first time the municipality will implement In-Country Value (ICV), a local content programme that promotes economic benefits.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16536060/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Dubai scales up its metro ambitions

    23 April 2026

     

    Dubai’s rail sector has rarely seen such a concentrated burst of procurement activity as it has in the past year.

    Within the space of a few months, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has moved simultaneously on three distinct fronts: tendering design consultancy for the Route 2020 extension that will connect the Expo 2020 metro station to Al-Maktoum International airport; inviting study-and-design bids for a 55-kilometre Airport Express Line linking Dubai International airport to Al-Maktoum International airport; and culminating in Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s approval of the AED34bn ($9.2bn) Gold Line, a 42km fully underground route that the emirate is calling the largest transportation project in its history.

    These projects form a key part of the Dubai Rail Network Plan 2032, which outlines the development of six public transportation schemes comprising a mix of metro, passenger and high-speed rail lines.

    The most prominent feature of the plan is the addition of new lines to Dubai Metro’s existing network, representing a systematic effort to support the shift of Dubai’s economic centre of gravity towards Dubai South and the vast development corridors in between.

    The city is also seeking to stay ahead of the curve by investing heavily in infrastructure. Data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects shows that the emirate has awarded over $14bn-worth of transport projects in the past two years alone, with several other multibillion-dollar schemes still moving through the planning stages.

    All of this work is being carried out in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which forecasts the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040 – a clear indication of the scale of daily movement the city must accommodate.

    Project progress

    Dubai Metro Gold Line

    On 21 April, Sheikh Mohammed officially announced the launch of the new AED34bn ($9.2bn) Gold Line project.

    The line will be a fully underground network spanning over 42 kilometres, with 18 stations.

    It will run from Al-Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai to Jumeirah Golf Estates.

    The Gold Line will connect with Dubai Metro’s existing Red and Green lines and integrate with the Etihad Rail passenger network.

    In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that the RTA had selected US-based engineering firm Aecom to provide consultancy services for the project.

    Stage one covers concept design; stage two, preliminary design; stage three, preparation of tender documents; stage four, construction supervision; and stage five, the defects liability period.

    Airport Express Line

    Procurement has started for another metro line extending from Dubai International airport (DXB) in Al-Garhoud to Al-Maktoum International airport (DWC) in Jebel Ali.

    Earlier this month, the RTA invited consultants to bid for a contract to study and design what is referred to as the Airport Express Line.

    The proposed line will stretch about 55km and include five stations that will provide passengers with facilities such as remote airline check-in, baggage drop-off and security screening.

    The new line will run from the Red Line metro station at DXB through Al-Jaddaf, along Al-Khail Road to a new station at Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), before continuing on to DWC.

    There will be two spur lines. The first will run from the new JVC station to Al-Fardan Exchange metro station at Emirates Golf Club, while the second will branch toward Business Bay, where another station will be built.

    Expo 2020 route extension

    Dubai is also undertaking the Route 2020 extension of its metro system, which will start from the Expo 2020 metro station and connect with Al-Maktoum International airport’s West Terminal.

    Consultants submitted their bids earlier this month for the design contract.

    The extension will run for about 3km and feature two stations.

    The existing Route 2020 metro link is a 15km line that branches off the Red Line at Jebel Ali metro station. The line comprises 11.8km of elevated tracks and 3.2km of tunnels, and has five elevated stations and two underground stations.

    Dubai Metro Blue Line extension

    Construction progress on the Dubai Metro Blue Line extension is expected to reach 30% by the end of 2026, according to official accounts.

    In December 2024, the RTA awarded a AED20.5bn ($5.5bn) main contract for the construction of the project.

    The contract was awarded to a consortium of Turkiye’s Limak Holding, Mapa Group, also of Turkiye, and the Hong Kong office of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

    The Blue Line will connect the existing Red and Green lines. It will be 30km long, with 15.5km underground and 14.5km above ground.

    The line will have 14 stations, seven of which will be elevated. There will be five underground stations, including one interchange station, and two elevated transfer stations connected to the existing Centrepoint and Creek stations.

    The project is scheduled for completion in September 2029.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534887/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Contractors form teams for Bab Gas Cap main plant project

    23 April 2026

     

    Contractors have formed consortiums to participate in the main tendering exercise for a major project involving the development of infrastructure to process incremental gas output arising from the unlocking of gas caps at the Bab onshore hydrocarbons development in Abu Dhabi.

    As part of its 2030 upstream production increase goals, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) is working to extract gas from four underdeveloped gas cap reservoirs at the Bab onshore field development – Thammama A, Thammama B, Thammama F and Thammama H. While the Thammama A, B and H reservoirs are estimated to collectively produce 1.45 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas, output from the Thammama F gas cap is expected to be at a rate of 396 million cf/d.

    Existing trains at the Habshan processing complex in Abu Dhabi will be unable to handle the new gas volumes. Therefore, Adnoc Group subsidiary, Adnoc Gas, is required to build new facilities to process an additional volume of up to 1.85 billion cf/d of raw gas when its parent company starts production from the Bab gas caps.

    Adnoc Gas is planning to build a gas processing plant in the Bab area, about 170 kilometres from Abu Dhabi, along with associated pipeline networks and other ancillary units, as part of the broader Bab gas cap development project. It has divided the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) scope of work on the project into four packages:

    • EPC package 1 – Main Bab gas cap plant
    • EPC package 2 – Early civil works
    • EPC package 3 – Pipelines
    • EPC package 4 – Non-process area works

    Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed Adnoc Gas issued an expression of interest (EoI) document to contractors for the main EPC tendering process for the main Bab gas cap plant on 10 February. The company had set an initial EoI submission deadline of 17 February, which it later extended until 20 February, with contractors submitting responses by that date, MEED previously reported.

    Following the completion of the prequalification phase, contractors that expressed interest formed the following teams to compete in the main contract tendering round, according to sources:

    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) + Samsung E&A (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy) + NMDC Energy (UAE)
    • Technip Energies (France) + JGC Corporation (Japan) + Sinopec (China)
    • Tecnimont (Italy) + China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC)

    Adnoc Gas is expected to issue the main EPC tender for the central Bab gas plant in May, sources told MEED.

    The other three packages remain in the main contract tendering stages, the sources said.

    Prior to issuing the EoIs for the Bab gas cap development project packages, Adnoc Gas completed an early engagement process with contractors in September and October last year, as MEED previously reported.

    In December last year, Adnoc Gas awarded the front-end engineering and design (feed) works for the Bab gas cap development project, which will increase its gas processing capacity by about 20%, to Australia-based consultancy Worley. The feed contract has a duration of more than 1.2 million man-hours, making it the largest-ever engineering job awarded by Adnoc Gas.

    Adnoc Gas currently has a capital expenditure (capex) commitment of $20bn for the 2023-29 period, which is on course to increase to about $28bn as the company strives to achieve final investment decisions (FID) on the second and third phases of its rich gas development programme this year.

    The first phase of the RGD project is under construction. Adnoc Gas awarded $5bn-worth of engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contracts in three tranches for phase one of the RGD last June – the company’s largest-ever capital investment.

    The second and third phases involve building a natural gas liquids fractionation train at the Ruwais gas processing facility and a new gas processing train at the Habshan complex, respectively, Peter Van Driel, the company’s chief financial officer, had earlier told journalists on a call.

    MEED, in March, reported that Adnoc Gas had selected main EPC contractors for both the Ruwais NGL Train 5 and the Habshan 7 gas processing train projects, which are estimated to be valued at around $4bn each. Adnoc Gas is yet to officially award the EPC contracts for the two projects.

    Adnoc Gas’ capex commitment could exceed $30bn when the company achieves FID on the Bab gas cap development project, which is currently expected later this year, Van Driel previously said.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534391/main0115.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Sports Boulevard tenders Wadi Hanifa road works

    23 April 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s Sports Boulevard Foundation has issued a tender inviting firms to bid for a contract to build a road and associated infrastructure in the Wadi Hanifa area of Riyadh.

    The bid submission deadline is 27 April.

    The scope includes construction of an 11.4-kilometre road and associated infrastructure, including public realm works, utilities and security systems.

    The scheme is the latest package to progress on Riyadh’s Sports Boulevard project.

    The Sports Boulevard Foundation is also evaluating bids for its Global Sports Tower in the development’s Athletics District.

    The 130-metre-tall Global Sports Tower will have a gross floor area of 84,000 square metres (sq m) and will include more than 30 sports facilities. The tower will feature what is billed as the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall, at 98 metres, and a 250-metre running track.

    Sports Boulevard will run across Riyadh from east to west. Once complete, it is intended to be the world’s longest park, stretching more than 135 kilometres.

    The project is divided into multiple districts, including the Wadi Hanifah, Arts, Urban Wadi, Entertainment, Athletics and Eco districts, as well as Sands Sports Park.

    The large-scale development aims to transform central Riyadh – currently dominated by major highways – into a recreational corridor.

    Sports Boulevard will include 4.4 million sq m of public realm and landmark buildings. Along with the Global Sports Tower, there will be a Centre for Cinematic Arts and a 2,000-seat amphitheatre.

    It will also deliver more than 2.3 million sq m of mixed-use commercial, residential and retail space, alongside sports facilities, around the park, known as the Linear Park.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534345/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Masdar to develop renewables projects in Montenegro

    23 April 2026

    Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) have agreed to establish a 50:50 joint venture to develop and operate renewable energy projects in Montenegro.

    The planned projects include solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, hydropower, pumped-hydro storage and battery energy storage systems.

    The joint venture will be headquartered in Niksic in western Montenegro and is intended to support Montenegro’s domestic energy needs while also enabling the export of renewable electricity to the Western Balkans and Southern Europe, Masdar said in a statement.

    The companies plan to leverage an existing sub-sea interconnection with Italy. Montenegro is connected to Italy via a 600MW HVDC submarine cable, enabling electricity exports to the Italian market.

    Masdar has an existing presence in Montenegro through its investment in the 72MW Krnovo wind farm.

    The developer has recently accelerated foreign investment plans as part of its broader expansion. In April, it signed a binding agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to establish a $2.2bn joint venture to develop, build and operate renewable energy projects across Asia.

    The combined business will have 3GW of operational capacity and 6GW of projects in advanced development, targeted for commissioning by 2030.

    Masdar is targeting a global renewable energy portfolio of 100GW by 2030. It recently reached 65GW, two-thirds of the way to that target.

    The company plans to deploy an additional $30bn-$35bn in equity and project finance by 2030, adding an average of 10GW of new capacity each year.

    This expansion will be funded through a mix of equity, green bonds and long-term project financing.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534112/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall