Total to begin drilling at North Mahalla concession beginning of May

Total is set to start drilling the first exploration well in the North Mahalla onshore concession in the beginning of May, Al Shorouk reports, citing an unnamed EGAS official. According to the official, seismic scans of the concession indicate reserves of 3-5 tn cubic feet of natural gas. This comes as the Oil Ministry is targeting bringing 2.5 bcf/d of gas online in the coming months, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla says, Ahram Gate reports. The excess will go to fulfilling export contracts signed pre-2011 and to petrochemical manufacturing. No new export contracts will be signed, El Molla said.