bp has announced the successful completion of drilling operations at the El Fayoum-5 gas discovery well in the North Alexandria Offshore Concession, marking the final well in its four-slot drilling campaign in the West Nile Delta (WND).
Drilled using the Valaris DS-12 rig, El Fayoum-5 was spudded on February 14, 2025, and encountered four prospective Messinian gas reservoirs, with a total sand thickness of 50 meters at a measured depth of approximately 2,860 meters. Plans are underway to tie back the discovery to the existing onshore Giza/Fayoum infrastructure as part of the West Nile Delta project. This marks bp’s second consecutive gas discovery in recent months, following the successful El King-2 well in the North King Mariout Offshore Concession.
Nader Zaki, bp Regional President for the Middle East and North Africa, stated: “Since January 2024, our offshore drilling operations have remained uninterrupted. This successful discovery of Fayoum-5, following the recent achievement of El King-2 and the startup of Raven second phase, further underscores bp’s long-term commitment to timely invest in Egypt and support its growing gas domestic demand as a strategic partner for the country Energy sector.”
Wail Shaheen, VP bp Egypt, added: “Our focus remains on maximizing production from existing resources, exploring new opportunities, and making full use of our infrastructure to ensure a reliable gas supply that meets Egypt’s increasing domestic demand. The success of this latest exploration—our second following El King—highlights the strategic advantage of its proximity to existing infrastructure in the West Nile Delta, enabling a fast tie-back and accelerated production.”
The WND Gas Development consists of a series of gas condensate fields located offshore Egypt, within the North Alexandria and West Mediterranean Deepwater concessions. The Raven field, the final phase of the WND project, has been in production since early 2021. Its initial phase included the development of eight subsea wells, located up to 65 km offshore, at water depths ranging from 550 to 700 meters. bp, the project operator, holds an 82.75% stake, while Harbour Energy owns the remaining 17.25%.
