BP makes natural gas discovery off the Egyptian coast
BP has struck natural gas off the coast of Egypt, adding to a raft of finds in the area recently.
Eni SpA, an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome, along with BP hold a 50 per cent stake in region's licence.
BP has made a series of discoveries in Egypt in recent years including Taurt North, Seth South and Salmon and Rahamat, Satis, Hodoa, Notus, Salamat and Atoll.
In July gas was found in the nearby Nooros field in 2015 – currently producing 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day – and the massive Zohr discovery, announced in August which Eni said at the time was the largest gas find in the Mediterranean Sea.
Hesham Mekawi, regional president of BP North Africa, said:
We are pleased with the results of the Baltim SW-1 well as it is the third discovery along the Nooros trend and confirms the great potential of the Messinian play and its significant upside in the area.
Our plan is to utilise existing infrastructure which will accelerate the development of the discovery, and expedite early production start-up. This announcement is another example of BP’s commitment to unlock resources in order to bring critical gas production to Egypt.
The well was drilled by Petrobel, a joint venture between IEOC and the state partner Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).