RIYADH: Egypt’s Ministry of Environment, through the Bioenergy Foundation for Sustainable Development, 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 Port Said, aims to prepare a comprehensive feasibility study for establishing biogas production units that process agricultural and animal waste, the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry 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, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, and Andrea Marsanich, Eni’s carbon offset solutions manager. The event was also attended by Francesco Gaspari, managing director of AIOC, Eni’s Egyptian subsidiary.
The initiative aligns with Eni’s €24 billion ($26.2 billion) regional investment plan in Algeria, Libya, and Egypt over the next four years, part of the Italian government’s Mattei Plan to strengthen economic and energy ties with Africa.
In an official post, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, stated: “Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, emphasized the importance of utilizing this advanced technology in 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 spread across the country in cooperation with foreign petroleum companies operating in Egypt.”
Badawi added that this support forms an integral part of the sector’s corporate social responsibility toward communities near petroleum operations, aiming to promote local development and improve resource efficiency.
Awad said the agreement reflects Egypt’s push to expand public–private partnerships and international cooperation to promote biogas technology, reduce emissions, and generate sustainable energy from agricultural and animal waste.
She also emphasized plans to replicate the model in governorates with high organic waste volumes under Egypt’s National Agricultural Waste Strategy.
The foundation, established in 2015 in cooperation with the UN Development Programme, operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Solidarity. It supports biogas technologies through technical assistance and pilot projects across Egypt.
