Egypt is offering 12 gas exploration sites to potential investors as it aims to increase its reserves and ease reliance on imports.

The sites, announced on the Oil Ministry’s bidding portal, have a total area of 26,500 square kilometres. Five of the 12 are offshore blocks in the Mediterranean with a combined area of about 13,000 square kilometres.

The other seven are onshore blocks mostly in the north and northeast of Egypt, with a combined area of 13,500 square kilometres,

All 12 blocks are open for investment by foreign companies as part of the latest concession licensing round, the ministry said.

The gas exploration blocks are offered by the state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company.

Egypt has launched a hydrocarbon investment programme to increase its oil and gas deposits and reverse a decline following excessive production.

The Kuwait-based Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries said in a recent report that Egypt’s gas production had steadily declined over the past few years to reach around 57 billion cubic metres in 2023. It was 64 billion in 2022 and a peak of 67 billion in 2021.

The decline is expected to have continued in 2024, the organisation said.

Egypt’s gas shortages are likely to worsen as Israel halts supplies during its conflict with Iran, according to the National Bank of Kuwait. The bank said last week that Egyptians could face lengthy blackouts this summer.

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