Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni has produced its first gas from the Zohr gas field located in the Shorouk Block, offshore Egypt.
Discovered in August 2015, Zohr is claimed to be the largest gas discovery ever made in Egypt and in the Mediterranean Sea.
While Eni holds 60% stake in Shorouk Block, Rosneft and BP own 30% and 10% stake respectively.
The Shourouk concession that contains the Zohr field is operated by Eni through its joint venture Petrobel.
While BP acquired a 10% stake in the concession from Eni in February 2017, Rosneft purchased a 30% stake from Eni in October 2017.
Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi said: “Today is a historic day for us. It further confirms the capability of Eni’s women and men to turn challenging opportunities into unprecedented achievements.
“The start-up of Zohr is the direct result of our unique know-how, our ability to innovate in technology and of our tenacity in pursuing even the most challenging goals, of which we are very proud.”
The Zohr field is operated by Eni, through its joint venture with The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).
It is estimated to have a total potential of up to 30 trillion cubic feet of gas in place.
In March 2016, Eni had completed production testing of the first appraisal well of the Zohr gas field. During the test, the Zohr 2X well delivered up to 44 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfd) from 120m of the reservoir.
BP North Africa regional president Hesham Mekawi said: “The development of Zohr in a record time has brought a new critical source of energy to the Egyptian market.
“BP’s two other current major projects in Egypt – Atoll and the second phase of the West Nile Delta project – will bring further new gas resources into production. Together these projects will play an important role in supporting and reshaping Egypt's energy sector.”
Image: The Zohr field is operated by Eni. Photo: courtesy of num_skyman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.