BP Egypt on Monday announced another important gas discovery in the North Damietta Offshore Concession in the east Nile Delta, the company said in a press statement.

The Atoll-1 deep-water exploration well, currently being drilled using the 6th generation semi-submersible rig Maersk Discoverer, has reached a depth of 6,400m and penetrated approximately 50m of gas pay in high quality Oligocene sandstones.

Expected to be the deepest well ever drilled in Egypt, the Atoll well still has another 1km to drill to test the same reservoir section found to be gas bearing in BP’s significant 2013 Salamat discovery, 15km to the south, BP Egypt said in the statement.

Bob Dudley, BP Group chief executive, said it’s “the second significant discovery in the licence after Salamat. The estimated potential in the concession exceeds 5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and we now have a positive starting point for the next possible major project in Egypt after BP’s West Nile Delta project.”

Atoll-1 was drilled in 923m water depth around 80km north of Damietta city, 15km north of Salamat and 45km to the northwest of Temsah’s offshore facilities.

BP has 100% equity in the discovery.