Omani Firm Secures Contracts to Assess HC Potential in Algeria’s Basins

Underscoring the growing global reach of Omani upstream energy players, Petrogas E&P — the exploration and production arm of the well-diversified Omani business conglomerate Mohammed Al Barwani Group — has secured contracts to assess the hydrocarbon potential of two key basins in Algeria.

The agreements expand Petrogas E&P’s international footprint, which already includes operations in the Netherlands and Egypt, alongside assets in Oman and exploration acreage in the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Under the pacts signed with the state-owned Algerian Agency for the Valorization of Hydrocarbon Resources (Alnaft), Petrogas will evaluate the hydrocarbon prospects of the Touggourt and Berkine basins in southern Algeria. The agreements were signed by Alnaft President Samir Bekhti and Petrogas CEO Kingsuk Sen during the North Africa Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (NAPEC 2025), held recently in the Algerian city of Oran.

The agreements cover geological, geophysical and reservoir studies across the Hassi Toumiat and El Borma–Hassi Keskassa perimeters. The findings will inform the design of an investment strategy once the basins’ hydrocarbon potential is confirmed.

“These studies will help unlock new reserves and enhance the productivity of existing fields facing technical challenges”, Alnaft President Samir Bekhti was quoted by local TV channel AL24 News as saying. He described the initiative as part of Algeria’s drive to “optimize every barrel” from its mature basins.

Earlier this year, Petrogas received a five-year prequalification certificate from Alnaft, allowing it to participate in Algeria’s upcoming bid rounds. The company’s CEO reaffirmed Petrogas’s commitment to “long-term cooperation” with Algeria, focusing on research, production enhancement and the development of mature fields.

Internationally, Petrogas has a strong presence in the Netherlands, where its subsidiary Petrogas E&P Netherlands BV operates offshore assets, including the A15 licence in the Dutch North Sea, which achieved first gas in early 2024. The company also maintains production operations in Egypt’s Area A, reflecting its expanding footprint across European and African upstream markets.

In Oman, Petrogas’s upstream portfolio includes the Rima Small Fields cluster in Block 5, awarded under a 2008 service contract with PDO to boost output from 18 small southern fields; Block 55 (Kahil Block) in Al Wusta Governorate, secured in 2014 under an EPSA granting full exploration and development rights; and, most recently, Block 15, where its subsidiary Mazoon Petrogas signed a 2024 agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and China’s CNPC to jointly explore and produce oil and gas, marking a new phase of frontier expansion.