On the deep seabed of the Nile Delta in the Mediterranean Sea, the WDDM subsea pipeline network that has been in operation for many years is about to welcome a new access node. Shell's subsidiary BG Delta Limited, in collaboration with multiple partners, has officially made the final investment decision for the West Delta Deep Marine concession area phase 12a project. This deepwater development project, which relies on mature existing facilities, will inject new energy into stabilizing natural gas production in Egypt's offshore waters.

Three new deepwater wells to be put into operation in 2028

The Phase 12a project is located in the Nile Delta area of the Mediterranean Sea, and will develop three new deepwater subsea wells. It will follow the mature development model of the previous phases 10 and 11 and directly connect to the existing subsea infrastructure in the WDDM concession area. The entire facility will be operated by the Burullus Gas Company joint venture.

The project is jointly promoted by Shell, Egyptian Gas Holdings, Egyptian General Petroleum, and Petronas. By reusing existing subsea facilities, the project significantly shortens the overall development cycle, significantly improves capital utilization efficiency, and directly compresses the scale of new operational facilities required for new development projects, fully in line with Shell's capital allocation strategy of prioritizing the development of high profit margin advantageous resources.

Consolidate Egypt's domestic energy supply security

The relevant person in charge of Shell Egypt stated that this investment is a concrete implementation of the company's strategy to continuously tap into the remaining development potential of the WDDM concession area. Based on mature development experience and the reuse mode of existing facilities, the project delivery speed will be significantly accelerated, and long-term cooperation with the Egyptian government and various joint venture partners will also be further deepened. Keywords: natural gas pipeline, subsea pipeline network

After the project is put into operation, it will directly supplement Egypt's domestic natural gas supply capacity, providing support for maintaining stable production of this mature offshore gas field in the Nile Delta. The current electricity supply and industrial operation in Egypt are highly dependent on local natural gas resources. The promotion of the 12a phase project will directly strengthen Egypt's domestic natural gas supply capacity and consolidate Shell's long-term industrial cooperation with Egyptian state-owned energy enterprises and Malaysian National Petroleum.Editor/Cheng Liting