West Nile Delta

West Nile Delta Oil and Gas Project Profile

Location: The West Nile Delta (WND) project is located offshore in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 65km to 85km off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. The exact coordinates are 31.801, 30.029 (WGS 84).

Project Overview: The West Nile Delta project involves the development of gas and condensate fields within the North Alexandria (N Alex) and West Mediterranean Deepwater concessions. The project is a significant component of Egypt's energy strategy, aiming to enhance the country's energy independence and reduce energy costs.

Ownership and Operators: The project is co-developed by BP, which holds an 82.75% stake, and Wintershall DEA (formerly DEA), which holds a 17.25% stake.

Phases of Development: The WND project is being developed in multiple phases:

• Phase 1: This phase involved the development of the Taurus and Libra gas fields. Construction started in February 2017, and first gas was delivered to the national grid in March 2017. Production commenced in May 2017.
• Phase 2: This phase focused on the development of the Giza and Fayoum gas fields. First gas from these fields was achieved in February 2019, with an initial production capacity of 400 MMscfd, later increased to 700 MMscfd by April 2019.
• Phase 3: This phase includes the development of the Raven gas field, which was expected to commence production by the end of 2019.
• Future Phases: Additional fields such as Maadi, Viper, Ruby, Polaris, and Hodoa are planned for development in later phases.

Reserves and Production: The project aims to develop approximately five trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 55 million barrels (mmbbl) of condensate reserves from the initial three phases. The total recoverable reserves are expected to be further boosted by an additional five to seven tcf from new fields and future exploration activities.

• Peak Production: Expected to reach 1.4 billion cubic feet a day (bcf/d) of gas, equivalent to about 20% of Egypt’s current gas production.
• Current Production: As of 2019, the project's gas production was 4,134.22 million cubic meters per year, with a design capacity of 14,469.77 million cubic meters per year.

Infrastructure and Facilities:

• Offshore Infrastructure: The project includes the drilling of production wells connected to an offshore infrastructure. For the Taurus and Libra fields, nine production wells were drilled, connected via a 42km-long tie-back to an offshore facility at water depths ranging between 60m to 800m. The subsea system includes two subsea manifolds, a 79km-long gas pipeline, 68km of control umbilicals, and 24km of flexible well flow-lines.
• Onshore Facilities: Bechtel has been involved in the engineering, procurement, and construction of the onshore gas-processing plant, which includes the refurbishment of the Giza Fayoum facility and the construction of a new Raven facility. The combined production capacity of these facilities is expected to exceed 1.6 billion Standard Cubic Feet/Day (SCFD).

Contractors and Partners:

• KBR: Performed concept selection activities and completed the feasibility study for the project.
• Fugro: Conducted geophysical and hydrographic surveys using various vessels and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
• Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR): Performed geochemical, sedimentological, and micropalaeontological studies on mud volcanoes within the project site.
• Bechtel: Provided front-end engineering and design, and later engineering, procurement, and construction services for the onshore gas-processing plant.

Discovery and Field Details:

• Taurus, Libra, and Fayoum Fields: Discovered in 2000 and 2001.
• Ruby Field: Discovered in 2002, with further appraisal in 2009 and 2013.
• Raven Field: Discovered in March 2004, with the Raven 1X exploration well flowing at rates up to 37.4 million cubic feet a day (mcf/d) of gas and 741 barrels of condensate a day during initial tests.
• Polaris Field: Discovered in July 2004, with the Polaris 1X exploration well drilled to a total depth of 2,178m.

Investment and Timeline:

• Phase 1 Investment: The overall investment for the first phase was $12 billion.
• Agreements: Final project agreements were signed in March 2015 with the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company.

The West Nile Delta project is a critical component of Egypt's energy sector, contributing significantly to the country's gas production and energy independence.