Initial production from Egypt’s Atoll natural gas field started at a rate of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (mscf/d), Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, stated, according to Al Mal News.

The actual production of the field will start in the third week of December 2017, El Molla told Reuters.

The ministry is working closely with BP to speed production at the site in order to boost the country’s supply of natural gas, the First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Mohamed Taher, previously  told Amwal Al Ghad.

The Ministry of Petroleum plans to increase natural gas production by 1.9 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) by 2023, El Molla previously told Daily News Egypt.

To reach this goal, the ministry is looking to develop 11 natural gas projects at a cost of $17.5 billion, according to the newspaper.