Italian energy company Eni connected the Laarich East-1 well, in the Sahara desert of Tunisia, to production, United Press International reported.

Laarich East-1, approximately 700 km south of Tunis, is 5km from the oil treatment center in the concession and reaches a final depth of 4,111m. Production tests revealed a delivery capacity of approximately 2,000 b/d of oil, confirming the upside potential of the concession identified through a recent 3D geophysical survey carried out on the permit, according to World Oil.

Amid the results of the well, Eni continues explorations in Tunisia with the drilling of additional prospects with what it mostly has on site so it can go into full-scale production if the opportunity is there.

Eni’s production news comes as Tunisian oil production steadily declines . The country is reported to have significant formations of oil in shale deposits, with recoverable reserves of as much as 1.5b barrels.