Canadian explorer TAG Oil is set to commence drilling operations at the T-200 well in the BED-1 field, located in Egypt’s Western Desert, following the mobilization of the NDC-9 drilling rig later this month.

The company confirmed that site preparation is already underway and all necessary regulatory approvals have been secured. The NDC-9 rig is scheduled to move to the BED-1 location before the end of June to prepare for the mid-July spud date.

“The T-200 well represents the next step in TAG Oil’s ongoing evaluation of the Abu Roash Formation (ARF), and securing the NDC-9 drilling rig marks an important milestone,” said Abby Badwi, Executive Chairman and CEO of TAG Oil.

“With site preparation and activities progressing as planned, we look forward to commencing drilling next month and further evaluating the production potential of this reservoir,” Badwi added.

The vertical well is designed to reach a total depth of about 4,250 meters and will target the Abu Roash Formation (ARF), a naturally fractured reservoir where nearby wells have encountered light crude oil.

While Badr El Din Petroleum Company (Bapetco), the joint venture (JV)  between the Egyptian government and Cheiron runs the entire BED-1 field, TAG Oil’s involvement is limited to a service agreement focused on developing a specific subset of wells.

The field witnessed a rise in crude oil output to over 7,500 barrels per day (bbl/d) in January, representing a more than tenfold increase from the 800 bbl/d recorded when the company first assumed management of the site.