Eni bets big on Zohr explorer finding new treasure - REUTERS

Eni's Chief Exploration Officer Luca Bertelli poses at the headquarters in San Donato near Milan, Italy, September 15, 2017. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

OCTOBER 6, 2017 / 12:12 PM
Stephen Jewkes

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian oil major Eni (ENI.MI) is betting billions on Luca Bertelli being able to achieve something he’s been doing since he was nine years old: spotting things others overlook.

The geologist, who heads Eni’s exploration team, began collecting rocks as a boy growing up in Tuscany, developing a curious eye that eventually led him to discover two of the world’s biggest gas fields this century.

His latest success, the Zohr field off Egypt, sits in an area that Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) pored over for years before Bertelli persuaded his boss to embark on a drilling program that turned up the Mediterranean’s largest gas discovery.

Zohr to start production in December: Eni - EGYPT TODAY / REUTERS

Technicians on Zohr's platform (Source: ENI)

Thu, Oct. 5, 2017

CAIRO – 5 October 2017: Egypt’s giant gas field Zohr will start production in December, the project’s developer Eni’s CEO Claudio Descalzi said Thursday, Reuters reported.

Zohr is the largest natural gas field found in the Mediterranean and was discovered in 2015 by Eni. The field has an area of 100 square meters at a depth of 1,450 meters.

Investing around $10 billion in the project, Eni is estimating total output of the field to be approximately 30 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The field will start production through three phases. The first phase will see an output of one billion cubic feet per day (ft2). When all seven fields are complete by 2019, this amount will increase to 2.7 billion ft2.

The field is expected to secure Egypt’s domestic needs of gas after it has become a net importer of gas following a cut in production after the January revolution.

Oil discovery at Rabul 2 Well, West Gharib Concession - SDX ENERGY

5 October 2017 

Egypt SDX Energy Inc. (TSXV, AIM: SDX), the North Africa focused oil and gas company, is pleased to announce that an oil discovery has been made by the Rabul 2 Well in the West Gharib Concession in Egypt (SDX 50% Working Interest & Joint Operator). 

The well encountered approximately 101.5 feet of net heavy oil pay across the Yusr and Bakr sand formations, with an average porosity of 20%. Evaluation is ongoing, after which the Company expects that the well will be completed as a producer in the Bakr and connected to the central processing facilities at Meseda. 

The Rabul 2 well is the last of the commitment wells in the West Gharib concession and was drilled as an offset to the first commitment well Rabul 1, which was drilled in July 2017. Rabul 1 encountered 14.5 feet of net heavy oil pay with an average porosity of 21.2% in the Yusr sands and was subsequently completed as an oil producer in the Yusr sands. 

Libyan Oil Output Is Set to Rebound as Biggest Field Restarts - RIGZONE / BLOOMBERG

Wednesday, October 04, 2017Salma El Wardany & Saleh Sarrar

(Bloomberg) -- Libya’s oil output, hampered by sporadic shutdowns at fields and ports, is on track to resume its recovery as the OPEC nation’s biggest crude deposit started pumping after a three-day forced halt.

The Sharara field re-opened on Wednesday and is restoring production, the state producer National Oil Corp. said on its website. NOC lifted force majeure at the field as of Wednesday and is able to resume delivering Sharara crude to customers, it said in an emailed statement. NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said Monday on Libya TV that the nation’s daily output will reach 1 million barrels within days of the field’s re-opening.

Distribution of Rigs in Egypt - EGYPT OIL & GAS

Gazprom and Delek sign Memorandum to cooperate in Israeli NGV market - GAZPROM

October 2, 2017, 15:00

Gazprom and Delek Drilling LP signed a Memorandum of Understanding. According to the document, the parties will jointly examine the possibilities of using natural gas as a fuel for vehicles (road, rail and water transport) and special equipment (agricultural, material-handling and other equipment) in Israel.

The Memorandum was signed pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding inked on June 7, 2016, between the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources of the State of Israel. The document provides for the establishment of a joint working group.

GlobalConnect completes acquisition of 25% interest in Abu Sennan Concession in Western Desert - ENERGY EGYPT / GLOBAL CONNECT

October 2, 2017

GlobalConnect Ltd., a newly established Oil and Gas Exploration and Production company with focus on MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, has announced the final approval of Egypt government of its acquisition of 25% (twenty five percent) Participating Interest in the Concession Agreement for the Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation in Abu Sennan Area of Egypt Western Desert.

Farmout Agreement (FOA) was executed on December 15th, 2016, between Kuwait Energy plc (“Kuwait Energy”) and GlobalConnect with effective date of December 31st, 2016. FOA was signed by Sherif Foda – Founder and Chairman of GlobalConnect and Sara Akbar – CEO of Kuwait Energy.

Upon this final approval of Egypt government, GlobalConnect can officially assume its duties and responsibilities as full partner in the Abu Sennan concession.

El-Molla directs EGPC, Ganope, EGAS to intensify oil exploration - DAILY NEWS EGYPT

1 October 2017

Mohamed Adel

Minister of Petroleum Tarek El-Molla directed the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), South Valley Egyptian Petroleum Holding Company (Ganope), and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to focus on offering areas for research and drilling for oil in the coming tenders, as to increase production rates and curb reliance on imports.

A source in the sector told Daily News Egypt that EGPC has been tasked with collecting data and information about the untapped concession areas in the Western Desert and the Gulf of Suez.

He explained that Egypt needs to increase crude oil output, having been fixed for several years at an average of 650,000-700,000 barrels, against a growing demand.