CAIRO: American oil and gas explorer Apache announced over the weekend a discovery in the Faghur Basin in Egypt's Western desert. The company, in making the announcement said that Egyptian oil production is expected to be a “key driver” for the company's activities this year. The discovery consists of 105 feet of net hydrocarbon pay. The company, in a press statement, said the West Kalabsha I-1x discovery is in the basin and already had a test flow rate of more than 4,500 barrels of oil and some 10 million cubic feet of natural gas. Tom Voytovich, the vice president of Apache for the North African country, said the discovery “solidifies the resource potential” for the company's operations in the Egypt. “West Kalabsha is proving to be a fertile hunting ground,” he said. “With the ongoing infrastructure expansion, the time from concept to actual production should be shortened dramatically.” Cairo announced in February that it signed formal agreements with Apache for prospecting rights in the western deserts of the country. Apache said estimates for the region are as high as 50 million barrels of oil equivalent. Expansion of transportation infrastructure in the region could expand production capacity from 8,100 barrels per day to 40,000 bpd by late 2010, the company added. BM
