Eni has revealed record production levels at its development leases in Egypt’s Western Desert
The Italian multinational oil and gas firm announced that the combined output of its four development leases in the region reached 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) this month, representing a doubling of production figures for the area within the last three years.
Melehia, located 290 km west of Alexandria, was the main contributor producing some 54,000 bpd, with the remaining 16,000 bpd coming from Eni’s other three facilities at Ras Qattara, Raml and West Razzak.
The company stated that the improved productivity at Melehia followed the recent successful exploration of deep plays of Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic age at the site, where workers are still conducting a full appraisal.
Production began at the West Melehia deep exploration prospect in January of this year, when the Melehia West Deep 1X, drilled to 4,175 metres, cut 20 metres of light oil pay in the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib.
Eni holds a 76 per cent stake in Melehia’s licence, through its subsidiary, the International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC), with Lukoil owning the remaining 24 per cent.
