Cairo: Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi toured production sites at the Salam field operated by “Khalda Petroleum Company” for oil and gas during an inspection visit to the Western Desert fields. The Minister said “Khalda” represents a successful model in applying modern contractual systems in cooperation with global service and technology companies, based on actual performance. He noted that this helps accelerate drilling plans, reduce costs, increase output, transfer modern technologies and improve operational efficiency.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Badawi also reaffirmed the ministry’s full support for plans aimed at speeding up the connection of new wells to the production network and maximizing the use of available resources to strengthen domestic supply and help meet the country’s needs. During the visit, the Minister inaugurated workshops for repairing Electric Submarine Pump (ESP) cables and surface equipment developed by “Khalda” to improve maintenance efficiency, generate financial savings, support well operations and sustain production, while also serving other petroleum companies.
He praised the technical standards of the facilities as comparable to those of international firms. He also called for greater exchange of expertise and successful experiences among Western Desert companies through workshops coordinated with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).
Meanwhile, “Khalda Chairman” and CEO Engineer Moataz Atef said the company had launched a proactive plan to raise production rates and accelerate implementation ahead of the summer season in cooperation with Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and GASCO company. He added that the plan aims to push larger gas volumes into the national grid to meet rising summer demand, noting that cooperation with affiliated firms, particularly Petrojet, helped fast-track pipeline works and infrastructure upgrades, enabling additional gas supplies to be linked to the national network about three months ahead of schedule.