Egypt Starts Production from Mediterranean Gas Wells

Egypt has started production from two deepwater gas wells in the Mediterranean, according to an April 21st statement by the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry. The wells, namely Zohr-17 and Baltim South West-7, have an output of 390 Mscf of gas and 1,300 barrels of gas condensate per day, the ministry added.

The first well began operating at the mammoth Zohr gas field after the completion of the digging in the field’s southern region, the statement highlighted. Work is still ongoing on Zohr-17 to reach its maximum capacity of 250 Mscf/d of gas, the statement said.

The new well, which is being dug at a depth of 5,300 meters, comes as part of a plan to develop Zohr, the largest gas field in the Mediterranean discovered by Italy's Eni in 2015, the ministry added.

With this announcement, the overall number of wells in Zohr has increased to 15, with ten wells in the northern area and five in the southern.

Production started at the second well, Baltim South West-7, in the Nile Delta at a maximum capacity of 140 Mscf/d of gas and 1,300 barrels of gas condensate daily.

The output from the Baltim South West field reached the targeted 500Mscf/d of gas in seven months after the digging of only four wells instead of a planned six, the ministry added.