Africa Oil & Gas: Eni makes onshore gas find onshore Egypt

Eni has discovered oil and some gas in a deep level of the Faghur basin onshore Egypt.

Italy’s Eni said May 3 it has made an onshore oil discovery on the A-2X exploration prospect located in South West Meleiha license, in the Egyptian Western Desert.

The SWM A-2X well, the first drilled by Eni to explore the deep levels of the Faghur basin, produced 2,300 b/d light oil (32° API) and 0.4mn ft³/d associated gas, and may open a new productive area in Egypt.

Eni said that, subject to approvals, the production is expected to be linked to already existing nearby infrastructures and then shipped to El Hamra terminal through existing pipelines.

Eni says it is Egypt’s main producer, at 260,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day net to Eni, which it expects to grow further this year, thanks to the ramp up of giant offshore Zohr gas field.

Zohr last week doubled its production capacity to 800mn ft³/d gross, equivalent to 150,000 boe/d gross. Eni’s equity share is 60%, but will be 50% once a pending 10% sale to Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala completes.