Strategic Energy Map

Gas field

Zohr

Egypt (offshore Mediterranean). ~850 bcm reserves.

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Overview

Egypt (offshore Mediterranean). ~850 bcm reserves. Largest gas discovery in Mediterranean. ENI-operated. Discovered 2015. ~28+ bcm/yr. Transformed Egypt from gas importer to potential exporter.

Geopolitical context

Zohr's discovery by Italy's ENI transformed Egypt's energy calculus. Cairo went from being a net gas importer (requiring expensive LNG cargoes) to approaching self-sufficiency and restarting its idled LNG export plants at Idku and Damietta. Egypt now positions itself as a regional gas hub, receiving Israeli and potentially Cypriot gas for re-export as LNG to Europe — giving Cairo a new source of strategic relevance post-Arab Spring. The field also deepened Italy-Egypt ties; ENI's role survived the diplomatic crisis over the 2016 murder of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni.

Nearby