Khalda Petroleum Company has made a new natural gas discovery in the Western Desert, after drilling and electrical logging confirmed gas presence with an estimated production rate of around 36 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d), according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

The ministry said on Monday that testing and initial flow assessments are currently underway, with plans to bring the exploratory well, Gomana-1, into production on November 19.

This discovery aligns with the ministry’s efforts to maximize production rates and encourage investment partners to expand exploration drilling activities.

Khalda Petroleum company is a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and US Apache Corporation.

In September, EGPC signed an agreement with Apache for exploration and development to add five new blocks that involve drilling 14 wells in the Western Desert with $35 million investments and a $25 million signature bonus.

Apache, which has been present in Egypt since the mid-1990s, is a leading producer in the Western Desert. In May,  Khalda Petroleum discovered South NUT-1 well in the Western Desert which came onstream in September with a production rate of 50 mmcf/d) of natural gas.