UK major Shell has outlined plans to double its Egypt gas output by June 2030. West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) is currently the company’s only producing Egypt asset, where output is approximately 400mn cfd. The implied target of 800mn cfd mid-2030 appears to be achievable, although Shell will need to contend with the steep underlying decline rates that have caused its Egypt output to drop by 80% since 2008.
Twenty years ago, WDDM was Shell and Egypt’s flagship project and production peaked at 2bn cfd in 2008. But Egypt’s offshore gas fields suffer from high rates of natural decline and production dwindled to just 180mn cfd in 2024 despite new phases being brought online. The most recent phases, 10 and 11, helped double output to 405mn cfd last year, but the decline could start to kick in again soon (MEES, 5 September 2025). (CONTINUED - 855 WORDS)
