Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, inaugurated the expansion of the North Jessum field in the Petrogulf concession area in the Gulf of Oil in the Eastern Desert, which witnessed development and increase in production and reserves, as the field’s production jumped from 4 thousand to 19 thousand barrels of oil per day, and the proven reserves increased from 118 million to about 203 million barrels during the first half of 2023.

The minister stated that the new expansions and increased production come as a direct result of the ministry’s strategy to increase and maximize the production of petroleum wealth and to accelerate the development of new petroleum projects on the production map, through optimal utilization of the available existing facilities or adding new facilities in the existing petroleum production areas in light of the existing and continuous cooperation between the operating petroleum entities.

El Molla highlighted the importance of adhering to the application of the highest standards of safety in business management, pointing out that the sustainability of operations, the preservation of workers and facilities, achieving environmental compatibility and reducing emissions are fundamentals from which the ministry’s work strategy does not deviate, especially as this achieves economic and environmental returns that add to the productive value.

Meanwhile, Abdel-Wahhab El-Maghawry, President of PetroGulf Egypt, explained that after discovering the field’s reservoir, an appraisal well was successfully drilled from the Delta offshore platform, with the aim of evaluating the southern extension of the reservoir, and production was accelerated using the available facilities.

Two other appraisal wells were drilled through the Delta offshore platform with the aim of evaluating the southern extension of the palm sands reservoir, and production was carried out using the available facilities, and they were put on production at a daily production rate of 7800 barrels per day. The integrated works for field production facilities have been awarded to PMS Offshore Petroleum Services. This included an offshore platform to accommodate 5 wells and 2 marine lines with a diameter of 10 inches and a length of 5.5 km to connect the northern Jessum North station, the Jessum Star station, and a mobile offshore production unit. At the end of December 2022, the project work was fully completed as planned.

The minister further conducted an inspection tour of the field to follow up on the progress of work and production, during which he inaugurated the industrial wastewater treatment plant in PetroGulf, which was implemented by Egyptian Maintenance Company (EMC) with a capacity of 10,000 barrels of water per day and a cost of $3.5 million, which achieves the strategic goals of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in increasing environmental compatibility and economic efficiency in managing petroleum projects.

The minister also listened to an explanation from Tawfik Diab, President of Cheiron Company, PetroGulf Egypt’s partner, on the position of projects to rationalize energy consumption and reduce emissions, which achieve economic and environmental returns. Through the new pilot project using catalyst technology, PetroGulf was able to reduce emissions by 6.2% within only two months of operation and is expected to achieve savings in fuel consumption within two years amounting to $3.2 million.