Eni will begin production from the South Meleiha concession in the Western Desert’s Faghur Basin within three to six months, an anonymous source at the oil ministry told Al Shorouk.

The Italian company is planning to drill a third exploratory well in the concession before the end of Q3 2018, the source added.

Eni announced its second oil discovery in the South Meleiha earlier this month. The light oil discovery produces 5,130 barrels of oil per day.

The developments are part of the oil ministry’s $2 billion investment plan to drill 230 wells in the Western Desert. Around 130 wells are already drilled and the remaining 100 wells are scheduled to be drilled by the end of 2019.