Joint Venture of Wintershall Dea and EGAS first to achieve zero routine flaring in Egypt

• Wintershall Dea’s and EGAS’ DISOUCO Joint Venture achieves a ‘first’ for the upstream industry in Egypt
• Achievement follows October 2022 letter of intent for emission reduction
• Another step forward for Wintershall Dea’s Energy Transition Pathway

Wintershall Dea and its partner, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), have achieved zero routine flaring at the DISOUCO Joint Venture in Egypt. The JV company between EGAS and Wintershall Dea becomes the first company in Egypt to do so. In October 2022 Wintershall Dea and EGAS signed a letter of intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Disouq gas project in the onshore Nile Delta.

“We are turning ambitions into action. As the first company to achieve zero routine flaring in Egypt, DISOUCO is reducing emissions and preserving much needed gas. We aim to set an example for best practice gas production in Egypt”, says Dawn Summers, Wintershall Dea’s Chief Operating Officer and responsible board member for the MENA region.

Since December 2022, Disouq has operated on a zero routine flaring basis based on an optimized process design. Achieving lower emissions and meeting Egypt's growing energy demand go hand in hand. Recently, the JV company made a natural gas discovery in the Abu Madi reservoir inside the Disouq concession which is also processed though the same facility and benefits from the low emission production.

Sameh Sabry, Senior Vice President and Managing Director BU Egypt, says “Wintershall Dea strives to be a responsible partner for Egypt. That means producing the energy that Egypt needs in the most responsible way. DISOUCO being the first company to implement zero routine flaring in Egypt underlines our contribution towards a secure and sustainable energy future for Egypt. I thank our partners at EGAS for their support in implementing  emission reductions.”

The move is in line with Wintershall Dea’s global Energy Transition Pathway, and its intention to contribute to a secure and sustainable energy future in Egypt. The Energy Transition Pathway sets significant targets. The company targets net zero greenhouse gas emissions for its upstream activities by 2030¹, with a 25% net reduction by 2025. Wintershall Dea endorses the World Bank’s ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 Initiative’ and targets methane intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025². Wintershall Dea has already eliminated routine flaring in operated assets. In addition, the company seeks to prevent flaring in non-routine operations and collaborate with partners to reduce flaring in non-operated assets. By achieving zero routine flaring at the DISOUCO JV, Wintershall Dea is delivering on that objective in Egypt. 

In addition to joint emission reduction programme at Disouq, Wintershall Dea has implemented its global methane Leak Detection and Repair programme in Egypt. Furthermore, the company is building up a Carbon Management and Hydrogen business that aims to abate 20 to 30 million tonnes of CO₂ per annum by 2040 globally. To this end Wintershall Dea and EGAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022 to jointly work on identifying possible CCS and hydrogen projects.

_{¹ Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, operated and non-operated upstream activities at equity (share) basis​
² 100% volume of methane emissions of Wintershall Dea’s operated assets divided by the volume of the own-operated gas marketed}

_{About Wintershall Dea}

_{Wintershall Dea is transforming from the leading European independent gas and oil company to become a leading European independent gas and carbon management company. We have more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 11 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business. And we develop carbon management and low carbon hydrogen projects to contribute to climate goals and secure energy supplies. More in our Annual Report.}

_{As a European gas and oil company, we support the EU's 2050 carbon neutrality target. As our contribution we have set ourselves ambitious targets: We want to be net zero across our entire upstream operations – both operated and non-operated – by 2030. This includes Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions on an equity share basis. Wintershall Dea will also bring its methane emissions intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025. We endorsed the World Bank’s Initiative ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ and continue to support the initiative aimed at eliminating routine flaring in operated assets by 2030. In addition, we plan to support global decarbonisation efforts by building up a carbon management and hydrogen business to potentially abate 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2040. You can find more about this in our Sustainability Report.}

_{Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people worldwide from almost 60 nations.}