Shell Egypt celebrates start of the Assil and Karam gas fields in the Western Desert

Located approximately 300 km west of Cairo, the project includes five deep gas wells, a CO2 reduction plant (CRP), dual pipelines and other associated facilities which are expected to add approximately 120 million mscf/d of treated gas to Egypt’s total production capacity once fully ramped up.

Speaking on the milestone, Jeroen Regtien, Chairman of Shell Egypt stated that, “Safety and quality are key drivers in the on-schedule completion of the Assil and Karam project. The project achieved a record five million man hours without any lost time injuries and is an example of the close collaboration between Shell’s joint venture partners Badr El-din Petroleum Company (BAPETCO) and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) to meet the country’s energy needs.”

The Assil and Karam project was executed through an engineering, procurement and construction contract with ENPPI and PetroJet, with additional support from Shell’s Projects and Technology division.  

As per the project’s design, the CO2 reduction plant receives CO2 laden gas from the Karam field and utilises Shell’s proprietary Amine System to reduce CO2 content in the gas to meet sales specifications before it is further processed in the BED-3 facility and supplied into the Egyptian gas network.

Assil and Karam are two of the deepest gas fields discovered in the Western Desert and join an existing portfolio of Shell’s oil and gas assets in the area. Given the project’s proximity to the BED-3 gas processing facility (15 and 20km respectively) these two fields form the focus of gas development in the Alam El Shawish Concession (AESW) area. Shell Egypt and BAPETCO operate the project, with a 40% stake, with partners NPIC 35% and GDF Suez 25%.

About Shell:

Shell companies in Egypt are wholly owned by the Royal Dutch Shell plc. Active in Egypt since 1911, Shell Egypt business today spans upstream oil and gas exploration and production, downstream marketing and gas distribution. Shell’s upstream operations are located in the Western Desert.

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