Khalda Petroleum has saved over $18 million in 18 months by reducing oil and gas well drilling time in Egypt's Western Desert. In partnership with Apache and under the Ministry of Petroleum's cost-efficiency strategy, the company reduced the average pipe connection time from 24 minutes to 18 minutes—and as low as 12.5 minutes in some wells—resulting in a 60-day reduction in drilling operations and $3 million in savings during 2024. This improvement enabled the connection of 110 wells with over 25 per cent better performance. In the first half of 2025, Khalda drilled 54 wells with a further 15 per cent time improvement, cutting drilling time by another 180 days and saving over $15 million. The gains were achieved through advanced techniques with HLB, SLB, and Baker, focusing on pipe connection and well path surveying. The company plans to reduce pipe connection time to 12 minutes in 2026, continuing its innovation-driven approach under the direction of the Ministry and EGPC. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
