Italian energy company Eni has announced the discovery of around two trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas initially in place in Eastern Mediterranean waters following the drilling of the Denise W-1 exploration well in Egypt’s Temsah Concession.
Early estimates also suggest around 130 million barrels (mbbl) of associated condensate.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Situated 70km offshore in 95m of water, the Denise W find is strategically placed less than 10km from existing infrastructure, enabling potential fast-track development.
The well encountered a gas-bearing sandstone reservoir with around 50m of net pay, comparable to the nearby Temsah field, which has been producing since 2001.
This discovery underpins Eni’s strategy of enhancing Egypt’s energy reserves and increasing national gas production, contributing to the country’s energy security goals.
It also highlights Eni’s approach of rejuvenating existing assets through near-field exploration that leverages existing infrastructure.
The drilling of Denise W-1 follows a binding agreement signed in July 2025 with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, extending the Temsah Concession for 20 years.
Eni holds a 50% contractor working interest and operatorship in the Denise Development Lease within the Temsah Concession, with bp owning the remaining 50%.
Operations are carried out via Petrobel, the joint venture company owned by Eni and EGPC.
Eni has operated in Egypt since 1954 and currently maintains a broad portfolio across exploration, development and production, delivering equity oil and gas output of approximately 242,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025.
Last month, Eni announced two gas discoveries offshore Libya, with combined resources estimated at more than 1tcf.
The discoveries were made on the Bahr Essalam South 2 (BESS 2) and Bahr Essalam South 3 (BESS 3) structures, around 85km offshore and roughly 16km south of the Bahr Essalam gas field.
The B2-16/4 and C1-16/4 wells drilled the prospects in water depths of around 650ft.
