Eni hits new gas discovery offshore Egypt

Italian oil and gas player Eni has made a new gas discovery in the Great Nooros Area, located in the Abu Madi West Development Lease, in the conventional waters of the Nile Delta, offshore Egypt.

Eni is the operator of the Block located in the Mediterranean Sea and BP is a contractor member.

Announcing the new discovery on Wednesday, Eni said that it was achieved through the Nidoco NW-1 exploratory well.

The well is located in 16 meters of water depth, 5 km from the coast and 4 km north from the Nooros field, discovered in July 2015.

According to Eni, the Nidoco NW-1 exploratory well discovered gas-bearing sands for a total thickness of 100 meters, of which 50 meters within the Pliocene sands of the Kafr-El-Sheik formations and 50 meters within the Messinian age sandstone of the Abu Madi formations, both levels with good petrophysical properties.

In the Abu Madi formations a new level, which was not yet encountered in the Nooros field, has been crossed proving the high potential of the Great Nooros Area and the further extension of the gas potential to the North of the field.

The preliminary evaluation of the well results, considering the extension of the reservoir towards the north and the dynamic behaviour of the field, together with the recent discoveries performed in the area, indicates that the Great Nooros Area gas in place can be estimated in excess of 4 Tcf.

Eni, together with its partner BP, in coordination with the Egyptian Petroleum Sector, will begin screening the development options of this new discovery benefitting of the synergies with the area’s existing infrastructures.

Eni, through its subsidiary IEOC, holds a 75 per cent stake in the license of Abu Madi West Development Lease, while BP holds the remaining 25 per cent stake.

The operator is Petrobel, an equal joint venture between IEOC and the state company Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).

In related news, Eni in July successfully drilled the first exploration well in the North El Hammad license, in the conventional Egyptian waters of the Nile Delta, on the prospect called Bashrush.

The new discovery is located in 22 meters of water depth, 11 km from the coast and 12 km North-West from the Nooros field and about 1 km west of the Baltim South West field, both already in production.

The discovery of Bashrush further extends to the west the gas potential of the Abu Madi formation reservoirs discovered and produced from the Great Nooros Area.