Egypt : Large Oil Field Found in Western Desert

While the majority of oil companies in Egypt have drastically reduced their exploration programs, Eni has stepped up its drilling campaigns in the country, especially in the Western Desert. He has just discovered a large oil deposit there.

In Egypt, the Italian oil company Eni announced the discovery of a large oil field in the Meleiha South West concession, located in the Western Desert, some 130 km north of the Siwa oasis. The deposit is housed in the SWM-A-6X well and will reinforce the supply of the perimeter which entered production since last year, and which offers a plateau of more than 12,000 barrels per day.

According to the drilling data sheet, the work reached a total depth of 15,800 feet and revealed a 130-foot bearing column in the Paleozoic sandstones of the Dessouky formation. Thanks to the existing synergies, the well was automatically brought into production and generates 5,000 barrels of oil per day.

In the Western Desert, Eni has implemented a strategy to accelerate the production of new discoveries, with the company AGIBA, a joint venture with EGPC, the Egyptian public oil company.

These are the discoveries made between 2012 and 2018 that made it possible to launch the initial phase of production on the field in July 2019. Unlike the rest of the industry, Eni maintains a fairly sustained exploration rate in the country and in particular around the western desert. This could lead to a new exploration program on the license which remains relatively underexplored.

Source Ecofin Agency July 2020