• Petroleum industry in Egypt has its historical roots since the era of the pharaohs. There are drawings on the walls of the temples that show that pharaohs used crude oil as lighting fuel in oil lanterns.
• However, the first geological survey in Egypt did not take place before the nineteenth century by a French naval officer in 1835.
• Egypt is considered one of the first countries of the world that achieved presidency in various stages of petroleum industry, where the government in 1886 started to drill the first well in Gemsa region, and its commercial production started in 1910.Following that, petroleum discoveries succeeded in Egypt .In 1961,the fist offshore well in Egypt and the Middle East “Balaeem” was discovered .In 1965 the oldest and the biggest field “Al Morgan” was discovered and it started its production in 1967.
• The journey of searching for natural gas in Egypt started in 1963.The first discovery was “Abu Mady” well in 1967 in Delta region .In 1969, the first discovery of natural gas in the Mediterranean Sea was “Abu Kir” field. In the same year “Abu El Gharadeek” field was the first discovery of natural gas in the Western Desert .Afterwards, search and exploration operations succeeded in different regions using the newest technological methods.
• Egypt was the first Arab country to establish refinery industry. in 1911,the first petroleum refinery in Egypt was established .It was subsidiary to Egyptian English Oil Wells Company(Nasr Petroleum nowadays)and it was put into operation in 1913.In 1922,the governmental petroleum refinery was being established and was put into operation in 1923.To fulfill the geographical spread policy of refineries, and to avoid its concentration in Suez region other refineries were put into operation: Cairo Petroleum Refinery in 1969,Amreya Petroleum Refinery in 1972 and Tanta Petroleum refinery in 1973.
• In May 1971, the first minister of petroleum affairs and mineral resources was assigned .In March1973 the first ministry of petroleum was established As a result of the triumph of October War the petroleum fields of Sinai were regained on the 17th of November 1975,and this day is considered as Petroleum’s Day to commemorate the start of the widening of search of petroleum and gas operations in Egypt and the enterprise of the international companies to work in Egypt .In 1976 the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation was established.