Egypt's Petroleum Minister Tareq El Mulla said the output of the giant Meditteranean Zohr gas field has seen a six-fold rise since January when it was officially inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The offshore gas field now produces 2 billion cubic feet per day, equivalent to approximately 365,000 barrels of oil equivalent, Mulla said, adding that production from the field has hit a record that would help Egypt realize natural gas self-sufficiency. Mulla made the remarks during a field tour on Thursday to the field along with Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Italian oil and gas group Eni, which discovered the filed in 2015. Members of the Italian company held the company's annual board meeting at the field site. Descalzi said the strong relations between the governments of Egypt and Italy as well as oil companies of both countries had largely contributed to accomplishing an international record in the petroleum and natural gas industry, noting that 80 percent of the project was carried out by Egyptian companies According to the firm, this production level was realized due to the commencement of the fifth production unit, supported by the eight gas producers and a new sea line, commissioned last month.
