ENI’s Egypt gas discovery exposes neocolonial energy extraction: How fossil fuel dependency perpetuates geopolitical instability and climate vulnerability in North Africa

Indigenous Bedouin communities in Sinai have long resisted gas extraction on their ancestral lands, citing violations of land rights and environmental degradation. Their oral histories document the loss of grazing lands to ENI’s projects, framing the discovery as a continuation of colonial-era land dispossession. Traditional knowledge systems in the region prioritize sustainable land use, contrasting sharply with ENI’s extractivist model. However, their perspectives are systematically excluded from energy policy debates.

Egypt’s energy sector has been shaped by colonial legacies, from British control of the Suez Canal to the 1956 nationalization under Nasser, which was met with Western retaliation. The IMF’s structural adjustment programs in the 1990s privatized state-owned energy companies, paving the way for ENI’s current dominance. The US-Israel sanctions on Iran have further distorted regional energy markets, creating artificial scarcity that benefits European firms like ENI. This historical pattern reveals how energy crises are manufactured to serve corporate interests.

North African energy transitions are not unique; similar dynamics play out in the Gulf, where Qatar’s LNG expansion has reinforced fossil fuel dependency despite solar potential. In Latin America, countries like Bolivia have nationalized gas reserves to fund social programs, offering a counter-model to ENI’s extractivism. African-led renewable energy initiatives, such as Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, demonstrate how regional cooperation can bypass colonial energy frameworks. These cross-cultural comparisons highlight the need for decolonial energy policies.

Scientifically, gas is a transitional fuel with lower CO2 emissions than coal but still contributes to methane leaks, which have a 28-36x higher warming potential than CO2 over 100 years. Egypt’s gas reserves are estimated at 2.8 trillion cubic feet, but extraction risks contaminating the Nile Delta’s aquifers, threatening food security. Studies show that renewable energy in North Africa could meet 100% of regional demand by 2050, making gas investments a stranded asset risk. The scientific consensus favors a rapid shift to renewables, yet policy lags behind.

Artistic and spiritual traditions in Egypt and the broader Arab world often frame energy as a communal resource, not a commodity for extraction. Sufi poet Rumi’s metaphors of divine light resonate with solar energy’s potential, while Coptic Christian communities in Egypt have long associated energy with sacred stewardship of the land. Contemporary Egyptian artists, such as those in the 'No to Gas' movement, use murals and poetry to critique ENI’s projects as modern-day resource colonialism. These perspectives challenge the secular, profit-driven framing of energy.

Future modelling suggests that gas investments in Egypt could lock the country into a 30-40 year fossil fuel dependency, delaying renewable transitions and exacerbating climate vulnerability. Scenario planning by the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that North Africa’s solar potential could supply Europe with green hydrogen, reducing reliance on Russian and Middle Eastern gas. However, current policies prioritize short-term corporate profits over long-term resilience. A systemic shift would require coordinated regional energy planning and investment in grid interconnections.

Marginalised voices include Egyptian youth activists organizing against gas projects in Sinai, who face state repression for opposing ENI’s operations. Women-led cooperatives in rural Egypt, who bear the brunt of energy poverty, are rarely consulted in energy policy decisions. African climate justice groups, such as the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, argue that gas projects deepen debt and environmental injustice. These perspectives are systematically excluded from mainstream narratives, which frame energy crises as technical problems solvable by foreign investment.