Dana Gas has started production at the Zora gas field located in the Sharjah Western Offshore Concession, about 35km off the coasts of Sharjah and Ajman in the UAE, Oil&Gas Drilling&Production informed. Zora covers a total area of more than 1,000km² and it is expected to achieve a flow-rate of 40mcf/d of gas, Offshore Technology wrote.

The gas produced from the field is being transported to Dana Gas-built onshore gas processing facility located in Hamriyah Free zone in Sharjah, via a subsea pipeline. The gas will be sold in the domestic market for power generation. This latest project development is a part of company’s plan to diversify its asset portfolio.

Dana Gas CEO, Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, said: “The project represents a considerable investment by Dana Gas and the resulting gas output will support clean, domestic power generation for Sharjah for years to come.”

He added that Dana Gas’ “exploration and development activities in the UAE and in Egypt will provide a short to medium term boost to our overall production levels and thereby help to offset the decrease in revenue and profits resulting from the current low oil price environment.”

In March 2008, Dana Gas had signed a 25-year concession agreement with the Sharjah Government for the Sharjah Western Offshore block, which included the Zora field.