President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in New Alamein City on Tuesday, in the presence of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi.
The meeting was also attended by Eni Chief Operating Officer for Natural Resources Guido Brusco, Eni Egypt Managing Director Andrea Barbieri, and Eni Egypt Deputy Managing Director Mahmoud Abu El-Yazid.
President Sisi opened the meeting by praising Egypt’s longstanding partnership with Eni- the Italian energy company- and its wide-ranging activities, which cover exploration and prospecting as well as community development initiatives, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy said.
The president expressed his hope that Eni would continue to expand its partnership and increase its investments in Egypt, which would strengthen the country’s role as a regional gas hub and reflect the strength of Egyptian-Italian co-operation.
President Sisi stressed that Egypt would continue to provide the necessary support and facilities to Eni and would remove any obstacles facing its operations in the country.
For his part, Descalzi reaffirmed Eni’s commitment to strengthening its position as the largest energy company operating in the Egyptian market.
He noted that Eni’s total investments in Egypt had reached $8.5 billion. He also highlighted the company’s success in establishing itself as a key partner in oil and gas exploration, development and production activities.
Descalzi reviewed the implementation status of Eni’s projects and activities across several of Egypt’s key production and exploration areas. He said the company was continuing to implement an integrated investment programme in Egypt focused on exploration, development and operations across its concession areas nationwide, including the Mediterranean and the Zohr field.
He added that Eni plans to drill 30 exploration wells and 200 development wells during the next phase.
The Eni CEO also reviewed the company’s community development initiatives in Egypt, including plans to develop and manage a hospital in the country.
In this context, Descalzi stressed the importance of connecting Cyprus’s Cronos gas field to Egypt’s infrastructure, describing the project as a model of regional co-operation in the gas sector that would strengthen Egypt’s position as a regional energy and gas trading hub.
The meeting also reviewed the latest developments in Eni’s operations and projects in Egypt, as well as its plans to intensify exploration and development drilling programmes in 2026 and 2027, particularly in the Mediterranean and Western Desert, with the aim of increasing natural gas and crude oil production through advanced seismic surveying technologies and artificial intelligence.
President Sisi stressed the importance of maintaining fruitful co-operation between Egypt and Eni by expanding exploration and production activities and strengthening regional integration, while consolidating Egypt’s role as a hub for gas trading, liquefaction and exports.
