Egypt’s Ministry of Environment, through the Bioenergy Foundation for Sustainable Development, has signed a cooperation agreement with Italian energy company Eni to advance biogas production and support the country’s clean energy transition.
The agreement, signed in the coastal city of Port Said, aims to prepare a comprehensive feasibility study for the establishment of biogas production units that will process agricultural and animal waste, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a statement.
The signing ceremony was attended by Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi, Local Development Minister and Acting Environment Minister Manal Awad, and Port Said Governor Mohab Habashi Khalil.
Representing the parties were Yasser Abdullah, chair of the foundation’s board of trustees, and Andrea Marsanich, Eni’s carbon offset solutions manager. Also present was Francesco Gaspari, managing director of AIOC, Eni’s Egyptian subsidiary.
The initiative aligns with Eni’s €24 billion (£20.3 billion) regional investment plan in Algeria, Libya, and Egypt over the next four years. The investment forms part of the Italian government’s Mattei Plan, which seeks to strengthen economic and energy cooperation with Africa.
In an official statement, the Petroleum Ministry said: “Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, emphasised the importance of utilising this advanced technology across all governorates of the republic.”
It added: “He noted that the petroleum sector is ready to provide all necessary support and contribute effectively to the implementation of sustainable development projects, most notably biogas units, through sector companies operating across the country in collaboration with foreign petroleum firms.”
Badawi highlighted that this support forms an integral part of the sector’s corporate social responsibility towards communities located near petroleum operations, aiming to promote local development and improve resource efficiency.
Awad stated that the agreement reflects Egypt’s commitment to expanding public–private partnerships and international cooperation to promote biogas technology, reduce emissions, and generate sustainable energy from agricultural and animal waste.
She added that the government plans to replicate this model in governorates with high volumes of organic waste as part of Egypt’s National Agricultural Waste Strategy.
The Bioenergy Foundation for Sustainable Development, established in 2015 in cooperation with the UN Development Programme, operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. It supports the deployment of biogas technologies through technical assistance and pilot projects across Egypt.
