BP Makes Another Gas Discovery in Egypt

BP Egypt on Monday announced another gas discovery in the North Damietta offshore concession in the East Nile Delta.

The Atoll-1 deepwater exploration well, currently being drilled using the 6th generation semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer, has reached 6,400 metres depth and penetrated approximately 50 metres of gas pay in high quality Oligocene sandstones, BP said in a statement.

Expected to be the deepest well ever drilled in Egypt, the Atoll well still has another 1 kilometre to drill to test the same reservoir section found to be gas bearing in BP’s significant 2013 Salamat discovery, 15 kilometres to the south, the company said.

Bob Dudley, BP Group Chief Executive, commented: “Success in Atoll further increases our confidence in the quality of the Nile Delta as a world class gas basin. This is the second significant discovery in the licence after Salamat. The estimated potential in the concession exceeds 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and we now have a positive starting point for the next possible major project in Egypt after BP’s West Nile Delta project.”

BP has 100 percent equity in the discovery.