Project Profile
Value: US$6 billion – US$10 billion
Location: Eastern Mediterranean of Egypt
Area: 3,765 sq. km (Zohr Prospect: 100 sq. km)
Reserves: 850 billion cubic metres (30 trillion cubic feet)
Production: 28 mcm per day (mid-2018) and 76.5 mcm per day (2019)
Water Depth: 1,400 - 1,800 m
Start-up Year: 2017
Through its fully owned affiliate, IEOC, Eni will act as Operator of Block 9 with 100% equity. Eni was awarded a deepwater exploration block, Block 9, in the Eastern Mediterranean of Egypt within the EGAS 2012 International bid round in Cairo (Egypt). Through its fully owned affiliate, IEOC, Eni will act as Operator of Block 9 with 100% equity. Block 9, also named Shorouk Offshore, which covers an area of 3,765 square kilometres, is located in water depths ranging from 1,400 to 1,800 metres. This new acreage acquisition further consolidates Eni’s position in Egypt, where it has been present since 1954, and is currently the largest foreign energy player in the country, with an average oil and natural gas equity production of approximately 234,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Egypt aims to start natural gas production from Zohr field in 2017. Eni expects to invest between US$6 billion – US$10 billion to develop the Zohr field.
In August 2015, Eni made a gas discovery at the Zohr Prospect, in the deep waters of Egypt. The discovery well Zohr 1X NFW is located in the economic waters of Egypt’s Offshore Mediterranean, in 4,757 feet of water depth (1,450 metres), in the Shorouk Block, signed in January 2014 with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) following a competitive international Bid Round. According to the well and seismic information available, the discovery could hold a potential of 30 trillion cubic feet of lean gas in place (5.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent in place) covering an area of about 100 square kilometres. Zohr is the largest gas discovery ever made in Egypt and in the Mediterranean Sea and could become one of the world’s largest natural-gas finds. This exploration success will give a major contribution in satisfying Egypt’s natural gas demand for decades. Eni will immediately appraise the field with the aim of accelerating a fast track development of the discovery that will utilise at best the existing offshore and onshore infrastructures. Zohr 1X NFW was drilled to a total depth of approximately 13,553 feet (4,131 metres) and hit 2,067 feet (630 metres) of hydrocarbon column in a carbonate sequence of Miocene age with excellent reservoir characteristics (400 metres plus of net pay). Zohr’s structure has also a deeper Cretaceous upside that will be targeted in the future with adedicated well. The drill ship Saipem 10000 arrived at the field in late December 2016 to begin the process of drilling at the Zohr-2 Well.
In Febuary 2016 Eni and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) decided to create Petro Shorouk. Petro Shorouk is a subsidiary of Petrobel and has been tasked to complete the first stage of development of the Zohr gas field by the end of 2017.
The fifth well on the Zohr structure confirmed the field’s resource estimate of 30 Tcfg. (September, 2016)
Eni owns a 90% stake of the Shorouk license through IEOC Production, and the property is operated by Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel), a joint venture between IEOC and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).
Operators:
Eni (through its fully owned affiliate, IEOC): 60% interest
Rosneft: 30% interest
BP: 10% interest
Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel): Operator
- Petrobel is a JV formed by Eni and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC)
Contractors:
Baker Hughes: Project management, engineering procurement, fabrication, construction, testing and transportation of a subsea production system.
Petro Shorouk (Petrobel): Development of first stage (February, 2016)
OneSubsea: Awarded an EPC contract totaling more than US$170 million from Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel). oneSubsea will supply the subsea production systems for the first stage. (June, 2016)
Saipem: The scope of work of the EPCI contract encompasses the installation of a 26-inch gas export trunkline and 14-inch and 8-inch service trunklines, as well as EPCI work for the field development in deep water (up to 1700 metres) of 6 wells and the installation of the umbilical system. (July, 2016)
frames Group BV: To provide processing equipment for a gas plant connected to the first phase of development of deepwater Zohr natural gas field.
- to design and supply eight sour-gas filter coalescers and eight shell and tube heat exchangers, all of which will be installed at the onshore El Gamil plant. (August, 2016)
Dresser-Rand: an order for three model SGT-400 industrial gas turbines, including associated electrical generators. The order scope also encompasses a service package that includes spare parts supply and on-site maintenance. (October, 2016)
Subcontractor:
UTEC: Contract award by Saipem for delivering surface positioning on-board the Bautino and Castoro 10 barges, associated Anchor Handling Vehicles, trenching support utilising Teledyne Gavia AUVs. (June, 2017)