Eni makes major gas discovery

Italian exploration and production multinational Eni announced Sunday the discovery of a major natural gas reservoir off the coast of Egypt. The reservoir, which holds around 850 bcm (30tcf) of lean gas in place, is the largest natural gas find ever made in the Mediterranean Sea.

Located in the deepwater Shorouk block, the 100-square-kilometre supergiant Zohr field will undergo immediate appraisal in order to “fast track the development of the discovery that will utilise at best the existing offshore and onshore infrastructures,” according to a company press release.

The discovery was made via the Zohr 1X NFW exploration well at a water depth of 1,450 metres. The well was drilled to a depth of around 4,131 metres, encountering a 630-metre gas column.

“This historic discovery will be able to transform the energy scenario of Egypt,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said in a company statement.

Eni is the largest producer of oil and gas in the country. The company holds a 100-percent working interest in the Shourouk block through its local subsidiary Ieoc Production.

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