The UAE-based natural gas company Dana Gas has reported the successful drilling of the North El-Basant 1 exploratory well in Egypt’s onshore Nile Delta, confirming a major new gas discovery (Dana Gas press release, 11/12/2025). “Initial well results indicate estimated reserves of 15 – 25 bcf of gas (425-707 mcm), with production expected to exceed 8 mcf/d (83 mcm/year) once the well is connected to the national network,” according to the statement.
- The discovery comes at a time when Egypt’s gas production has been declining rapidly since peaking in 2021. As a result, the country has been importing increasing volumes of natural gas from Israel. Egypt became a net gas importer in 2023, with imports doubling in 2024 to reach 13 bcm. In 2024, supplies from Israel were supplemented by LNG imports from the international market (Enerdata’s Global Energy Research, December 2025).
This well is the fourth in the company’s US$100m development and exploration program, which includes a total of 11 new wells designed to increase domestic gas supply, expand reserves, and support long-term production. Earlier this year, three wells added 10 mcf/d (103 mcm/year), while recompletion work on another three wells contributed 9 mcf/d (93 mcm/year), bringing the total new volumes from drilling and workovers to approximately 30 mcf/d (309 mcm/year). Dana Gas expects the program to add around 80 Bcf (2.3 bcm) of recoverable reserves over its lifetime. The company also plans to spud the next well in the campaign, the Daffodil exploration well, in early January 2026.
The company holds exploration and production assets in Egypt, Iraq, and the UAE, with 2P reserves exceeding 1 Gboe and an average production of 55,000 boe/d in 2024.