Project and operations updateOil and gas
Egypt reports gas-bearing intervals in Chevron-led Nargis 2 appraisal well
The Ministry of Petroleum says the offshore appraisal well encountered extensions of previously identified gas-bearing layers and an additional interval, while evaluation of the 2022 discovery continues.
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- First published on EPC Feed
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Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Chevron reported appraisal results from the Nargis 2 well in the Mediterranean on 24 October. The ministry said drilling began in May 2026 and reached a final depth greater than 5,000 metres. Evaluation found up to 35 metres of net gas-bearing intervals. The announcement says Nargis 2 confirmed extensions of layers previously identified at Nargis 1 and encountered an additional gas-bearing interval described as having good reservoir characteristics.
The well was drilled to assess the extent of the 2022 Nargis discovery and test deeper geological intervals, including high-pressure, high-temperature formations. The ministry presents the results as support for further technical evaluation and study of development opportunities. It gives no recoverable-resource estimate, reserve booking, gas composition, flow-test result, production rate, development cost or approved field plan. The 35-metre figure is net gas pay reported from well evaluation; it is not a volume of gas and cannot establish the field’s commercial size on its own.
A ministry update published on 23 May said drilling had started aboard the Stena Forth drillship and identified Chevron as operator, with Eni, Mubadala Energy and Tharwa Petroleum as partners. The October results release names the same partnership. The earlier report confirms the campaign chronology and operating context, but it does not independently validate the October well evaluation. The October release says the appraisal tests both lateral extensions of Nargis 1 and deeper intervals; it does not report a separate flow test or explain which interval contributed the net-pay total.
The ministry frames the work as part of efforts to assess undeveloped discoveries and move resources toward development. That policy aim is distinct from a decision to develop Nargis: the release does not identify a production start date, additional appraisal wells or a development schedule. For now, the reported result is geological information from one appraisal well. Further technical work would be needed to determine the discovery’s overall potential and whether any development option is commercially viable.
The announcement therefore establishes a drilling result and continued evaluation, rather than a project sanction or near-term gas supply addition. The depth and net-pay figures are the quantitative details disclosed; neither can be converted into recoverable reserves without information the ministry has not published.
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