Kassel/Hamburg/Cairo. Wintershall Dea and its partner, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), have achieved zero routine flaring at the DISOUCO Joint Venture in Egypt. The JV company between EGAS and Wintershall Dea becomes the first company in Egypt to do so. In October 2022 Wintershall Dea and EGAS signed a letter of intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Disouq gas project in the onshore Nile Delta. 

“We are turning ambitions into action. As the first company to achieve zero routine flaring in Egypt, DISOUCO is reducing emissions and preserving much needed gas. We aim to set an example for best practice gas production in Egypt”, says Dawn Summers, Wintershall Dea’s Chief Operating Officer and responsible board member for the MENA region. 

Since December 2022, Disouq has operated on a zero routine flaring basis based on an optimized process design. Achieving lower emissions and meeting Egypt's growing energy demand go hand in hand. Recently, the JV company made a natural gas discovery in the Abu Madi reservoir inside the Disouq concession which is also processed though the same facility and benefits from the low emission production.

Sameh Sabry, Senior Vice President and Managing Director BU Egypt, says “Wintershall Dea strives to be a responsible partner for Egypt. That means producing the energy that Egypt needs in the most responsible way. DISOUCO being the first company to implement zero routine flaring in Egypt underlines our contribution towards a secure and sustainable energy future for Egypt. I thank our partners at EGAS for their support in implementing  emission reductions.” 

The move is in line with Wintershall Dea’s global Energy Transition Pathway, and its intention to contribute to a secure and sustainable energy future in Egypt. The Energy Transition Pathway sets significant targets. The company targets net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its upstream activities by 2030^[1], with a 25% net reduction by 2025. Wintershall Dea endorses the World Bank’s ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 Initiative’ and targets methane intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025[2]. Wintershall Dea has already eliminated routine flaring in operated assets. In addition, the company seeks to prevent flaring in non-routine operations and collaborate with partners to reduce flaring in non-operated assets. By achieving zero routine flaring at the DISOUCO JV, Wintershall Dea is delivering on that objective in Egypt.  

In addition to joint emission reduction programme at Disouq, Wintershall Dea has implemented its global methane Leak Detection and Repair programme in Egypt. Furthermore, the company is building up a Carbon Management and Hydrogen business that aims to abate 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2040 globally. To this end Wintershall Dea and EGAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022 to jointly work on identifying possible CCS and hydrogen projects.