The project is being developed in partnership with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Malaysia’s Petronas.
BG Delta Limited, a Shell subsidiary, has taken the final investment decision to develop Phase 12a of the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) concession off the Nile Delta coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
The project is being developed in partnership with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Malaysia’s Petronas.
Phase 12a will involve drilling and completing three deepwater gas wells, with BG Delta expecting production to begin in 2028.
The three wells will be connected to the WDDM concession’s existing subsea infrastructure, operated by Burullus Gas Company. This approach is expected to shorten the project’s development timeline, improve capital efficiency and reduce the need for new facilities.
Dalia El Gabry, Vice President and Chairperson of Shell Egypt, said the investment reflects the company’s commitment to maximising the potential of the WDDM concession amid favourable technical and commercial conditions.
She added that leveraging existing infrastructure and Shell’s project development expertise would help accelerate implementation, while the company continues to work with the Egyptian government and joint-venture partners to meet the country’s energy needs.
Phase 12a extends the development model used in phases 10 and 11, which brought six new wells into production during 2024 and 2025, according to company data.
The new phase will include the drilling and completion of three deepwater gas wells, as well as the installation of facilities, tie-in works, commissioning and connection to the existing offshore infrastructure.
In May 2026, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said Phase 12a was being prepared to develop and produce gas from the WDDM concession, with investments of around $350 million allocated to drilling three new wells and using existing infrastructure to reduce costs.
The WDDM concession is located between 90 and 120 kilometres offshore, in water depths ranging from 300 to 1,200 metres. Gas production from the concession began in 2003.
The new phase is intended to support domestic natural gas supplies and strengthen Egypt’s energy security by sustaining production from one of the Nile Delta’s established offshore gas concessions.
