Italian oil and gas company Eni has struck oil and gas in the West Melehia deep exploration prospect, which is located at the Melehia Licence in Western Desert of Egypt
The exploration well, Melehia West Deep 1X, was drilled to a depth of 4,175 metres, meeting a 20 metres net mineralised accumulation of light oil in the Lower Cretaceous age of the Alam El Bueib formation. The well also encountered a significant mineralised accumulation of gas and condensates in the Upper Jurassic age in the Safa formation.
The well had begun production with an initial flow of 2,100 bpd at 40° API. Eni said that the discovery would be followed by the drilling of other delineation and development wells, which should result in an estimated production of about 8,000 bpd by the end of 2015.
Melehia West Deep 1X’s drilling, together with Emry and Rosa North’s previous discoveries, has confirmed Eni’s strategy in Egypt with regard to exploration in the deep geological sequences of the Western Desert, according to the Italian firm.
It also showed the significant potential for exploration available in the deep sequence of Melehia Licence, increased by new three-dimensional seismic imaging technology.
Eni, through subsidiary International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC), holds a 76 per cent stake in the Melehia Licence. Lukoil holds remaining 24 per cent stake. The operator is Agiba, which is equally held by IEOC and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).
Eni officials said that the company has doubled its oil production through exploration of deep sequences in the last three years in the Western Desert of Egypt. The explorer produces more than 60,000 bpd in five different development licences, all operated by Agiba.
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