A perspective on hydrocarbon exploration potential in Southern Egypt

Abstract

This perspective summarizes recent advances and highlights remaining challenges and future research directions for understanding the hydrocarbon potential in southern Egypt. The Komombo, Nuqra, and Kharit basins are among the understudied Cretaceous intracratonic rift basins found in southern Egypt. The petroleum system of the Komombo Basin was established by discoveries such as the Al Baraka field, indicating that hydrocarbon development in the frontier region is relatively young. Our knowledge of source rock maturity, reservoir quality, and structural controls has significantly improved as a result of recent seismic interpretation, geochemical analysis, and 3D reservoir modeling. This perspective article reviews published studies on the hydrocarbon potential of southern Egypt, focusing on exploration history, petroleum system elements, challenges, and future directions. It highlights the main geological uncertainties such as structural complexity, reservoir heterogeneity, and limited data availability and discusses the technological approaches needed to address them. By synthesizing these insights, the article emphasizes the promise of the Cretaceous rift basins in southern Egypt as a frontier region for future petroleum exploration.