Shell Starts Mina West Gas Production in Egypt, Targeting 160 Million Cubic Feet a Day

Shell has started natural gas production from the Mina West field in the Mediterranean Sea off Egypt. The company expects output to reach 160 million standard cubic feet a day, or about 4.5 million cubic metres. The project is entering service after Egyptian gas production fell by almost half over five years.

By the editorial team. Polish original, published 15 November 2026.

Mina West lies in the North East El Amriya concession. The field was discovered in 2023, and Shell announced first production on 15 November 2026. The project is being developed with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, or KUFPEC.

Shell’s target of 160 million standard cubic feet a day applies to the field as a whole. The company did not disclose the initial production rate after start-up.

Egyptian gas output is down 48% from 2021

Mina West is coming on stream during a marked decline in Egypt’s domestic gas production. Data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative, cited by Reuters, show that the country produced about 112.6 billion cubic feet in August 2026.

That was 10.5% less than a year earlier and about 48% below the level recorded in August 2021.

At its target rate, Mina West could supply roughly 4.8 billion cubic feet a month. That would be slightly more than 4% of Egypt’s August 2026 production. This is a comparison between potential output from the new field and historical national data, not a statement of Mina West’s current market share.

The new gas will enter Egypt’s domestic network. It will increase supply from Egyptian fields, although the project’s target output remains far smaller than the reduction in national production since 2021.

Seven-kilometre pipeline connects the field to existing facilities

Mina West has been tied into the West Delta Deep Marine infrastructure through a new seven-kilometre pipeline. The gas is routed from there to the Burullus processing plant and then into Egypt’s transmission system.

Using existing facilities reduced the amount of new infrastructure required. Shell took the final investment decision on 30 June 2025, and first gas followed less than 18 months later.

Shell owns 60% of the project, while KUFPEC holds the remaining 40%. Subsea7 and Baker Hughes also participated in the development.

Earlier well tests indicated higher production potential

Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources reported test results from the Mina West-1 well in May 2026. The well flowed at about 45 million cubic feet of gas a day and nearly 1,000 barrels of condensate.

Technical analysis indicated that the well’s output could rise to about 80 million cubic feet a day after it was connected to production infrastructure. Those figures were test results and estimates made before regular production began.

At the time, Egyptian authorities estimated investment in the first development phase at about $390 million. Preliminary estimates put recoverable resources at approximately 245 billion cubic feet of gas and 5 million barrels of condensate.

The May timetable envisaged first-phase production reaching 160 million cubic feet of gas and 3,000 barrels of condensate a day in the fourth quarter of 2026. Shell’s November announcement confirmed the start of production but did not say whether those levels had already been achieved.

Sources

Shell Egypt, 15 November 2026; Reuters, 15 November 2026; Egypt State Information Service, 28 May 2026.