Italy’s Eni and UK’s BP have made a new natural gas discovery in the Nile Delta region, expected to produce around 50 million cubic feet of gas per day, by drilling an offshore well using advanced directional drilling technologies from onshore.
The Nidoco N-2 exploratory well was drilled in the West Abu Madi area in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.
According to Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the well is located around 3 km offshore in shallow waters but was drilled from onshore using directional drilling technologies aimed at reducing costs and improving operational efficiency.
Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi visited the EDC-56 drilling rig that carried out the operations and said the discovery, along with increased output from existing fields, reflected the sector’s progress in settling dues owed to foreign partners.
He said the government is targeting full clearance of outstanding dues by the end of June, adding that regular payments have encouraged partners to increase drilling, production and development activity.
The ministry said the well is less than 2 km from existing production infrastructure, allowing for a rapid tie-back and early production within weeks.
Badawi noted the discovery demonstrated how existing infrastructure can be leveraged to increase production and support domestic gas supply, while also highlighting Eni’s continued exploration success in Egypt.
The West Abu Madi development area is operated by Eni in partnership with BP and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation through Petrobel, the joint venture between EGPC and Eni.