Arab Finance: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi met with Anant Maheshwari, President of Strategy and CEO of Global Regions at US-based industrial technology company Honeywell, to discuss deploying advanced technologies and digital solutions to modernize Egypt’s refineries, improve operational efficiency, and reduce emissions across the petroleum sector, as per a statement.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2026), focused on expanding cooperation in oil refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure development, and environmental performance.

Badawi outlined the ministry’s refinery modernization program, which comprises six projects with estimated investments of $4 billion. The initiative aims to increase the production of higher-value petroleum products, particularly gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, to meet a greater share of domestic demand and reduce Egypt’s petroleum import bill.

With Egyptian refineries operating at approximately 80% capacity, the Minister emphasized the importance of adopting modern technologies to improve productivity, optimize existing assets, and strengthen the economic performance of refining operations.

He also highlighted opportunities to expand Honeywell’s involvement in the modernization program, building on the company’s existing cooperation with Egyptian refineries, including the Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR) and Alexandria National Refining and Petrochemicals Company (ANRPC).

Beyond refinery upgrades, the discussions explored integrating AI-powered smart control systems into refining operations to improve process management, energy efficiency, safety, and operational reliability.

Both sides agreed to identify pilot sites within Egyptian petroleum sector companies to test these technologies and evaluate their performance before considering broader deployment.

Environmental performance was another area of focus, with Badawi highlighting the sector’s efforts to meet Egypt’s commitments under the Global Methane Pledge. The discussions examined Honeywell’s technologies for emissions monitoring and control, flaring reduction, and energy efficiency improvements to support the petroleum sector’s emissions reduction objectives.

Cooperation in petrochemicals also featured in the talks, particularly opportunities to support the Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company’s (ECHEM) 2026–2030 five-year development plan.

The proposed collaboration includes providing advanced technologies for planned petrochemical projects, alongside expanding technical training, knowledge transfer, and skills development programs for Egyptian engineers to strengthen local expertise and workforce capabilities.

To advance these areas of cooperation, both parties agreed to intensify coordination and organize specialized technical meetings between Honeywell and Egyptian petroleum sector companies.

These meetings will identify priority projects, assess technological solutions for refinery modernization, and select pilot sites for smart control systems and emissions monitoring technologies, with the aim of translating the proposed cooperation into operational improvements across the sector.