BP makes another East Nile Delta gas discovery

BP PLC unit BP Egypt’s Atoll-1 deepwater exploration well has penetrated 50 m of gas pay in high-quality Oligocene sandstones in the North Damietta Offshore Concession of the East Nile Delta.

Drilled by the 6th generation semisubmersible rig Maersk Discoverer, the well reached a depth of 6,400 m in 923 m of water. Atoll-1 will be drilled an additional 1 km to test the same reservoir section found to be gas bearing in BP’s 2013 Salamat discovery, 15 km to the south (OGJ Online, Sept. 10, 2013).

The well, whose interest BP holds entirely, lies 80 km north of Damietta city and 45 km northwest of Temsah offshore facilities.

“Success in Atoll further increases our confidence in the quality of the Nile Delta as a world class gas basin,” commented Bob Dudley, BP Group chief executive.

“This is the second significant discovery in the license after Salamat,” he said. “The estimated potential in the concession exceeds 5 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 and a local partner last week agreed to invest $12 billion to develop 5 tcf of gas resources and 55 million bbl of condensates in the West Nile Delta gas project (OGJ Online, Mar. 6, 2015).