Egypt has launched its 2026 international bid round for crude oil and natural gas exploration, offering 14 new areas to international and Egyptian companies as the government seeks to attract investment, boost domestic production and meet the targets of its five-year output plan.

Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, announced the bid round during a meeting on August 12 with chairmen and managing directors of international companies operating in Egypt as investment partners, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a statement.

The bid round, which opened Tuesday, August 11, includes eight areas offered by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) across the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile Delta and North Sinai. Companies have until noon Cairo time on December 14, 2026, to submit bids.

The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) is offering six additional areas in the Gulf of Suez, Sinai and the Western Desert. The deadline for bids on those areas is noon Cairo time on November 11, 2026.

The government is seeking to accelerate exploration and field development as part of efforts to increase oil and gas production and attract new investment into Egypt’s energy sector. -OGN/TradeArabia News Service