Italian major Eni is ready to begin its exploration campaign offshore Bahrain, after the kingdom’s Shura Council approved its exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA). The deal was signed with Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) in May and covers Block 1 offshore the north eastern coast (MEES, 3 May). The block covers 2,800 km², and Eni has committed to drilling one exploration well in 2020 and is targeting oil reserves.
Bahrain’s upstream sector has been rejuvenated since the 2018 discovery of tight oil and gas in the Khalij al-Bahrain basin (MEES, 6 April 2018) and preliminary deals were also signed with Total and Chevron this year. (CONTINUED - 186 WORDS)