Oil production has started from the South West Meleiha development lease in Egypt’s Western Desert, Eni reports.
AGIBA, which operates the lease for Egyptian General Petroleum Corp., recently made two near-field discoveries on the Meleiha development lease, Eni said.
In the South West Meleiha area, production began at about 5,000 b/d from two wells and is expected to reach 7,000 b/d in September.
The oil is treated at the Meileiha Plant operated by AGIBA, which is equally held by Eni’s IEOC imot, and EGPC.
The companies made the discoveries last year and plan further exploratory drilling.
Through IEOC, Eni holds a 50% interest in South West Meleiha. EGPC holds the remainder.
AGIBA’s near-field discoveries are on the Basma and Shemy prospects.
Two Basma wells are producing oil from the Jurassic Khatabta formation. A Shemy prospect well is testing oil in Early Cretaceous Matruh sands.
In the same area, AGIBA has deepened existing wells into the Cretaceous Alam El Bueib formation, yielding incremental production of about 6,000 b/d of oil.
Elsewhere in Egypt, Eni tested gas from Miocene Abu Madi sands in the El Qar’a-NE1 well in the Nile Delta area.
During clean-up, the well delivered 17 MMscfd of gas and condensate. Eni plans to tie the well to the Abu Madi gas plant operated by Petrobel, in which IEOC and EGPC hold 50% interests each.
Petrobel operates the El Qar’a exploration lease, in which interests are EGPC, 50%; IEOC, 37.5%; and BP, 12.5%.
In the Gulf of Suez, meanwhile, Petrobel has an oil discovery on a new structure on the Sidri South exploration prospect. The Sidri-23 well has been placed on stream through nearby facilities.
Petrobel plans to develop the discovery, on the Abu Rudeis Sidri development lease, with about 10 wells.
