The Egyptian Ministry of Environment approved the study to build a 220km pipeline with a 26 inche diameter in order to move production from the Zohr gas field to an onshore processing station in Port Said Governorate, reported Ahram Gate.

Head of Environmental Affairs Authority, Ahmed Abu El Seoud, stated that the approval was granted after evaluating the presented study and data to ensure they commit to the terms and conditions with Article 4/1994 in the Environment Protection Law.

The environmental standards include getting rid of the Hydrostatic water in a healthy correct way and ensuring the safety of workers, as well as their protection from the project’s noises. The standards further include not exceeding the maximum air polluting triggers and the importance of maintaining a healthy work environment.

This comes as UK’s BP had reached an agreement with Italian Eni to buy a 10% stake in Egypt’s Shourouk Concession which includes Zohr field for $375m. Sources with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum had confirmed that drilling and development processes are ongoing in accordance to the scheduled timeframe to start production within 2017, and will not be affected by the transaction.