Energy major, Eni, has annouced plans to resume drilling activities at Egypt’s offshore Zohr field in January 2025, striving to boost production at one of the country’s largest gas deposits.
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Karim Badawi, made this statement during a discussion with the press last Thursday, as per a report by Reuters.
Karim Badawi stated that the company will spud two new development wells, with the drilling ship Saipem 10000 set to arrive this month.
Zohr field is the largest gas discovery in the Mediterranean. The field’s production peaked in 2019 and has since been steadily increasing, reaching 1.9 billion cubic feet per day in the first part of 2024. Eni intends to drill new wells in order to boost output.
Beyond the Zohr field, Eni is also working to acquire new seismic data at the Nargis field, situated in the Nargis Offshore Area Concession in the Mediterranean Sea and operated by energy major Chevron.
The minister said the data acquisition supports the company’s efforts to reduce gas flaring, find new development locations, and optimize the field’s reserves.
Through its Egyptian subsidiary IEOC, Eni emphasized its commitment to promoting research and exploration in talks with Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in January 2025.
IEOC President Francesco Gaspari further explained that a top priority of the company is to increase production and reserves.
Francesco Gaspari, president of the IEOC, further buttressed that the company’s main objective is to boost output and reserves.
By resolving the operational issues, the government is attempting to establish a favorable climate for international operators in order to encourage exploration. A fresh international bid round is scheduled to end in February 2025, and a digital platform for natural resources will also be created in August 2024. Twelve exploration blocks total—two onshore and ten offshore—are included in this round.
