Eni said it has successfully preformed a production test on the first appraisal well of its Zohr discovery.
The company said the well is estimated to have a deliverability of up to 250 MMScfd in production configuration.
During the test, 120metres of the reservoir were opened to production.
A spokesman for Eni said: “The well, constrained by surface facilities, delivered up to 44 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfd).
“The comprehensive set of data collected and analyzed have proved that the well has a great production capacity, which is estimated in a deliverability of up to 250 MMScfd in production
configuration (about 46 thousand barrel of oil equivalent per day).”
The programme envisages for 2016 the drill of three further wells.
Besides the onshore gas treatment plant construction works have already started and the bids for the offshore activities launched and nearly completed.