Pharos’ main man goes back to the East Med future
The independent’s CEO was making oil discoveries in the Gulf of Sinai in the 1970s. Now he is back in the region
“We lit the flare on the oil discovery just as [former Israeli prime minister Menachem] Begin flew back to Tel Aviv following the peace treaty.” So says Ed Story, CEO of London-listed Pharos Energy, of his first experience of the Eastern Mediterranean upstream. Now Story is back in the region, following Pharos’ 2019 deal for Merlon Petroleum El Fayum, which gives it production in Egypt’s Western Desert, and having taken exploration licences in Israel. What attracted you back to the East Med? Story: We saw in the Merlon acquisition the potential to replicate what they had done—making a Western Desert discovery and subsequently selling that entity to [US independent] Apache, which generated A
Also in this section
23 January 2026
A strategic pivot away from Russian crude in recent weeks tees up the possibility of improved US-India trade relations
23 January 2026
The signing of a deal with a TotalEnergies-led consortium to explore for gas in a block adjoining Israel’s maritime area may breathe new life into the country’s gas ambitions
22 January 2026
As Saudi Arabia pushes mining as a new pillar of its economy, Saudi Aramco is positioning itself at the intersection of hydrocarbons, minerals and industrial policy
22 January 2026
New long-term deal is latest addition to country’s rapidly evolving supply portfolio as it eyes role as regional gas hub
