CAIRO: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi requested that multinational oil and gas company Eni expedites the development of Zohr supergiant gas field so production begins in the Mediterranean waters of Egypt, according to a Sunday presidential statement.
In a meeting of Sisi with Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi and Minister of Petroleum Tarek al-Mulla, Descalzi emphasized that Eni is keen on hiring Egyptian companies to develop Zohr and extract gas to provide job opportunities to Egyptians.
While Zohr is expected to produce gas in 2017, Sisi and Descalzi agreed to intensify oil and gas exploration in Egypt in the coming period. The president requested Mulla to “overcome all obstacles” in the way of Eni and its activities in Egypt, the statement said.
The “strength of Egyptian-Italian relations” enhances Eni’s work in Egypt, which led to the discovery of Zohr in August, the statement quoted Sisi as saying.
Since the discovery of Zohr, Egypt produced four new licenses to explore for oil and gas in its territorial waters.