Italian Eni will start producing 200mcf/d of gas from Egypt’s Zohr deep water field in the Mediterranean by October 2017, through a temporary ground gas processing station, reported Daily News Egypt.

A source at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) stated that Eni will rent a temporary station until it completes the establishment of the permanent treatment plant.

Eni plans to complete the first phase of the treatment plant with a capacity of 650mcf/d of gas by the end of 2017.

The source further pointed out that Eni completed the drilling of six wells ahead of scheduled time and will be linked to the treatment facility by the end of 2017.

The treatment plant’s investments were estimated at at $4b. The plant will have a total capacity of 2.7bcf/d of gas.

The total investments in the Zohr field amounted to $12b and are expected to reach $16b throughout the life of the field.  The estimated cost of drilling one well in Zohr field is around $100m.