Egyptian gas’s second coming

Zohr is speeding ahead quickly. Does it herald a new era for the region’s energy?

Eastern Mediterranean gas prospects continue to fluctuate. The Egyptian successes of the 1990s were followed by decline. Then came the big Israeli discoveries, starting with Tamar, in 2009. Now it's Egypt's turn again. Last summer's discovery of the supergiant Zohr gasfield-a 30-trillion-cubic-foot reserve lying 4,700 feet beneath the surface in a previously undiscovered carbonate layer-suggests another spurt of upstream success could be on the way, reshaping the ever-changing energy sector in the region. Things are moving quickly. It was only in August last year that Italy's Eni announced the discovery. By the end of 2017 it should be producing 1bn cubic feet a day of gas from six wells, ri