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Thursday, 18 February 2021

First oil and gas auction of ‘21 is also the first to use the new Egypt Upstream Gateway

24 oil and gas blocks up for grabs in the first auction of 2021: The Oil Ministry has kicked off our first oil and gas exploration tender of the year, with 24 blocks being up for grabs, the Oil Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The round, which concludes on 1 August, includes nine blocks in the Mediterranean Sea, 12 in the Western Desert and three in the Gulf of Suez, an Oil Ministry source told Reuters today.

Brought to you by the Egypt Upstream Gateway: The announcement came during the official launch of the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG) digital platform, which provides E&P companies that have signed on to it with geological data for exploration and production activity. The platform, which was 12 months in the making, was developed in cooperation with Schlumberger.

Who’s likely to take part? 10 oil and gas companies have signed on to the EUG, suggesting they have appetite to participate in the tender. These companies include Eni, Apache, and Germany’s Wintershall Dea, according to the announcement.

A good way to close a natgas-strong week: The auction comes at the heels of the sleeping giant that is the Damietta LNG Terminal waking up after an eight-year slumber. As we noted this morning, the plant will export a 150-160k cbm shipment of natural gas — its first commercial sale since 2012 — during the final week of February. That, combined with rising demand for natural gas and a commodities super-cycle, and it’s looking good for Egypt’s gas export hub ambitions.

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