Hydrocarbon Prospectivity and Development Challenges of Tertiary Reservoirs in Egypt: A Comprehensive Review

Tertiary reservoirs serve as major hydrocarbon sources in Egypt. They occur predominantly in three provinces, including the Gulf of Suez, the Nile Delta, and the Western Desert. This review synthesizes petrophysical datasets from field-scale studies across these three provinces. The goal is to identify regional trends in reservoir behavior. Key contributions come from several areas. In the Gulf of Suez, studies include petrophysical assessments of the Thebes, Nukhul, Rudeis, Kareem, and Belayim formations. In the Nile Delta, key contributions include sequence stratigraphic studies of the Abu Madi incision and case studies from the Kamose and Tao fields. In the Western Desert, the review draws on structural-stratigraphic analyses of the Apollonia Formation. The findings demonstrate systematic variability in reservoir behaviour governed by depositional environments, diagenetic processes, and tectonic history. Syn-rift reservoirs in the Gulf of Suez are predominantly structurally controlled and reliant on fracture networks, whereas Nile Delta clastic systems are characterized by high porosity and lateral continuity, though affected by depositional complexity and overpressure. In contrast, carbonate reservoirs in the Western Desert have high porosity but very low permeability due to diagenetic alteration, giving them unconventional reservoir characteristics. Accordingly, major development challenges include reservoir heterogeneity, complex pressure regimes, and low recovery factors. This review article underscores the increasing role of integrated basin modelling, AI-driven reservoir characterization, and enhanced recovery methods in improving production efficiency from mature Tertiary reservoirs in Egypt.