CAIRO, July 28 (UPI) -- Italian energy company Eni announced Wednesday that it secured new deals in the Egyptian natural gas sector as it starts oil production in the Western Desert.
Eni announced that it started oil production in the Arcadia field in the Western Desert of Egypt just 45 days after it made its initial discovery.
The Italian energy company said it plans to drill four more wells in the area during the next year. The well is part of a plan to exploit deeper reserves locked in Egypt's Western desert and refocus oil strategies in the country.
Meanwhile, Eni Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni and Egyptian Petroleum Minister Amin Sameh Samir Fahmy signed a deal for a joint effort in the exploration, production and delivery of oil and natural gas.
Eni said it would work with Egyptian companies to tap into oil fields in Iraq and Gabon. Cairo, the company added, was working to give Eni access to the Arab Gas Pipeline.
The Arab Gas Pipeline delivers natural gas from Egypt to Jordon, Syria and Lebanon.
The U.S. Energy Information Agency reports that recent major gas discoveries in Egypt put the country just behind Nigeria and Algeria in terms of African gas producers with around 58.5 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves.
