TotalEnergies Expands Mediterranean Exploration with Egypt Deal

TotalEnergies SE said Wednesday it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state-owned Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co for hydrocarbon exploration in the Mediterranean Sea.

A day earlier the French energy giant announced it is resuming activities in Syria with the execution of an MoU with ConocoPhillips, QatarEnergy and the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Co (SPC) for exploration off Syria's Mediterranean coast.

TotalEnergies said in an online statement Wednesday, "The MoU covers a large area located in the north-western offshore of Egypt".

"The MoU establishes a framework for technical cooperation including preliminary exploration and subsurface evaluation activities", the company added.

Nicola Mavilla, TotalEnergies senior vice president for exploration, said, "This agreement will support the assessment of Egypt's deep offshore exploration potential".

Egypt contributed 2 million barrels of oil equivalent (6,000 boe per day), consisting of 11 billion cubic feet (30 MMcfpd) and less than 1 million barrels of liquids (<1,000 bpd), to TotalEnergies' production last year, according to the company's annual report.

As of last year TotalEnergies' hydrocarbon footprint in the North African country consisted of a 25 percent stake in the North El-Hammad offshore block and a 5 percent interest in the first train of the Idku gas liquefaction plant, according to the report.

In 2025 TotalEnergies and Italy's state-backed Eni SpA signed a "host government agreement" with Egypt and Cyprus to enable the export of gas from the Cronos field in the Cypriot Mediterranean to Europe via Egyptian infrastructure.

"The agreement provides a framework allowing the Cronos gas to be processed in the existing Zohr facilities offshore Egypt and then liquefied in the Damietta LNG plant in Egypt, for export to European markets", TotalEnergies said in a press release February 17, 2025.

TotalEnergies and operator Eni, which each own 50 percent in Cronos, successfully appraised the field 2024.

Elsewhere in Mediterranean waters, TotalEnergies' exploration presence also includes Lebanon, Libya and now Syria.

It had been producing in Syria until 2011, when it idled the Deir ez-Zor license and the Tabiyeh Gas Service Contract amid international sanctions against the Assad regime, according to the company.

On Tuesday TotalEnergies said it had signed an MoU with SPC for exploration in Block 3 off Syria's Mediterranean shore, following the European Union and the United States' relaxation of sanctions in 2025 after the fall of the Assad dynasty late 2024.

"The MoU covers a technical review by the partners of the offshore Block 3 area and establishes a framework for technical and commercial discussions related to exploration activities on this block", TotalEnergies said.

Julien Pouget, TotalEnergies senior vice president for exploration and production in the Middle East and North Africa, said, "We are pleased to enter into this new partnership with the Syrian Petroleum Company with which we had a long and fruitful relationship from 1988 to 2011, and we look forward to cooperating with QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips to assess Syrian offshore exploration opportunities in the Mediterranean Sea".

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com