CAIRO, Egypt -                   ‘Eni', an Italian multinational company, Tuesday announced that it had started oil production from the southwest Meleiha lease in the Western Desert of Egypt, Middle East Monitor reports.

In a statement, the company said that production in the new wells started at 5,000 barrels per day and it is expected to reach 7,000 barrels in September.

It further revealed that the oil is transported and treated at the Meleiha Plant facilities operated by AGIBA, an operator company on behalf of Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Eni.

According to the newspaper, Middle East Monitor, the South West Meleiha oil discoveries were made in 2018, while other exploration wells are now planned nearby.

Eni is best known for its 2015 discovery of the largest offshore gas field in the Mediterranean: “Zohr”, inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi early last year.

Egypt’s arrears to foreign oil firms fall $900m.