Shell and Apache are expected to conclude the preliminary tests for the production of gas from the Apollonia field in the Western Desert by the end of June 2016.

According to a source at the Ministry of Petroleum, the two companies intend to drill 30 wells in the Western Desert once the production tests from the limestone layers have been concluded.The limestone layers holds natural gas and if the tests yield positive results, new investment opportunities for the production of natural gas in unconventional ways will be made available, the source added.

Apache has completed the drilling of two horizontal wells in the Apollonia field at an estimated cost of $3 million and each well needs about 19 days of drilling to be functional while Shell also drilled three vertical wells aimed at gathering the information required to design horizontal wells.

Both companies estimates the extractable gas reserves from the concession area at the field to be around 700 Bcf and both are planning to increase their search for gas in the unusual places as well as in the limestone layers in the Western Desert.

Additional exploration is to commence once studies at the Apollonia field have been completed, Daily News Egypt reports.

Anita Fatunji