ENI discovers Egyptian major offshore gas field

(AGI) Rome, June 9 - ENI has discovered a gas field in the Baltim South West exploration district in the Nile river delta. This new discovery, at the Baltim South West IX well, is 12 kilometres offshore, at a depth of 25 metres. It is 10 metres north of the Nooros field discovered in July 2015 which is producing 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, and is expected to reach about 120,000 barrels by the end of the year. The well has found a mineralised gas column of 120 metres, 62 metres of which have a net thickness of Messinian Age sandstone sediment, with excellent petro-physical properties. The discovery, which is covered by the Baltim South licence, is evidence of the major gas potential of the so-called "Great Nooros Area", which may contain a total of 70-80 billion cubic metres of gas. ENI is assessing the options for the discovery which, in the Nooros area, will aim at accelerating starting production via synergy with infrastructures already in the area. Baltim South West is another success story of ENI's "near field" exploration strategy in the country, where it seeks opportunities to guarantee a rapid development of discoveries. ENI will continue explorations in the "Great Nooros Area" by drilling two more wells. ENI, via its Egyptian subsidiary, IEOC, holds half the Baltim South concession, while BP holds the rest. The licence is run by Petrobel, a joint venture between IEOC and the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation. ENI has been operating in Egypt since 1954, where it works via IEOC Production BV. I 2015. It is producing approximately 200,000 equivalent barrels a day. (AGI). .