Qattameya gas field started production in October 2020. Credit: BP plc.
Qattameya gas field is located in the North Damietta offshore concession in East Nile Delta, offshore Egypt. Credit: Nasa / WikiCommons.
Qattameya Shallow-1 discovery well of the field was drilled using the El Qaher II jack-up rig. Credit: Jacklee.

Qattameya (also known as Kattameya) gas field is located at a water depth of 108m in the North Damietta offshore concession in East Nile Delta, Mediterranean Sea, offshore Egypt.

The field is part of the North Damietta offshore concession area in which BP holds 100% interest. It has been developed through Pharaonic Petroleum Company (PhPC), a joint venture between BP and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), an Egyptian state-owned company.

First gas from the Qattameya field was produced in October 2020. The field is expected to produce up to 50 million metric standard cubic feet per day (Mmscfd) of gas.

Qattameya gas field location

The field is located approximately 45km west ‎of the Ha’py platform and Taurt field facilities in the Ras El Barr concession of the Nile Delta region. Situated at a water depth of 80m in the Mediterranean Sea, Ha’py gas field came onstream in February 2000.

Taurt gas field comprises two subsea wells developed with a subsea production system (SPS) and a 70km-long pipeline and control umbilical connected to the West Harbor processing plant.

Qattameya gas field details

Qattameya gas field was developed with one subsea well tied-back to Eni’s Ha’py and Taurt field facilities through a new 50km-long pipeline. It also has a connection to the existing subsea infrastructure via a 50km-long umbilical. Gas produced from the Qattameya field is sent to Egypt’s national gas network.

Qattameya gas field discovery and appraisal details

The gas field was discovered in 2017 through the drilling of the Qattameya Shallow-1 exploration well to a total depth of 1,961m, using the El Qaher II jack-up rig. Located roughly 60km north of Damietta city and 30km south-west of Salamat, the well encountered a net gas pay of 37m in high-quality sandstones of the Pliocene era.

Qattameya was the third discovery in the North Damietta offshore concession, following the Atoll gas field and the Salamat gas and condensate discoveries.

North Damietta offshore concession details

BP’s North Damietta offshore concession has two producing fields, Atoll and Qattameya, in addition to the Salamat discovery which is in the appraisal stage.

Discovered in 2015, the Atoll field phase one started producing with three wells at a water depth of 950m in 2018 and currently produces 350Mmscfd.

Located 75km north of Damietta city, Salamat is a deepwater exploration well that was approved for drilling in February 2010. Maersk Discoverer semi-submersible rig was utilised to drill the well at a water depth of 649m, reaching a total depth of approximately 7,000m.

BP’s offshore development in Egypt

BP has been working with the Egyptian government for the last 57 years and actively exploring the Nile Delta region. It invested in a number of projects, including West Nile Delta, Atoll, and Zohr fields offshore Egypt. BP is one of the biggest foreign investors in the country with a total investment of more than $35bn.

The company produces approximately 60% of Egypt’s total gas consumption through its local joint ventures PhPC and Petrobel (IEOC JV).

The West Nile Delta project comprises five fields, including Taurus, Giza, Fayoum, Libra, and Raven.

In 2017, BP acquired a 10% interest in the Shorouk concession from Eni, which contains the supergiant Zohr gas field. It also acquired a 25% interest in Eni’s Nour North Sinai Concession located in the East Nile Delta basin at water depths ranging between 50m and 400m and spanning 739km² in 2018. Other discoveries made by BP in Egypt are Harmattan and Satis.