BG Egypt and Edison International have announced today the successful completion of Sapphire-3, the second Sapphire appraisal well, in the West Delta Deep Marine Concession (WDDM), offshore the Nile Delta, Egypt.

The well, located in the south central area of the concession, 20 kilometres north of the Rosetta Field, was drilled to a depth of 2,900 metres in 450 metres of water. The first target reached was the previously un-drilled Saffron Channel C in the Scarab/Saffron Complex. The well proved pressure communication between Channel C and the Saffron discovery, indicating a gas column in excess of 575 metres - the largest gas column recorded in Egypt.

A second primary target was the Sapphire Sands. The well successfully penetrated all sands present in Sapphire-1 and Sapphire-2, located 15 kilometres to the west of Sapphire-3. Pressure data and geochemical analysis indicates that all three Sapphire wells are in communication. Testing of the well was not carried out as Sapphire-3 penetrated known reservoirs.

Stuart Fysh, Vice President, BG Egypt, said: "This is yet another excellent result from our appraisal and development programme in the concession. Early evaluation of the data from the well indicates greater reserves than previously modeled. BG Egypt, Edison International and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation are targeting this gas and further reserves from the concession for their proposed Egyptian LNG project."

The Sapphire Field is the first gas condensate field in the west Nile Delta area.

BG Egypt and Edison International are currently engaged in the development of the earlier WDDM discoveries Scarab/Saffron which together have reserves of more than four trillion cubic feet. Scarab/Saffron is expected to produce its first gas in the first quarter of 2003 for the domestic market.

Notes to Editors

BG Group plc has been active in Egypt for over ten years and has achieved a highly successful record in the country via investments in the upstream and downstream sectors.

Edison International S.p.A., is Italy's only energy company fully integrated in the production, transportation and marketing of both electric power and natural gas. Edison owns over 4,000 megawatts of installed power capacity and hydrocarbon reserves in excess of 80 billion cubic metres of natural gas equivalent.

Burullus Gas Company, a joint venture between BG Egypt, Edison International S.p.A., and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), is responsible for the drilling and field development of the West Delta Deep Marine concession. Sapphire-3 is the twelfth successful appraisal well drilled in the concession and the fifteenth successive well drilled.

In September 2000, Sapphire-1 tested 35 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) and 1,100 barrels of condensate per day (bcpd), and in December 2000, the Sapphire-2 appraisal well tested at a flow rate of 33 mmscfd and 805 bcpd.

BG Egypt and partners, Edison International and Shell, have successfully developed and brought onstream the offshore Rosetta project in January this year. It delivers gas into the Egyptian national grid under a 25-year agreement with EGPC.

BG Egypt and Edison International, together with local partners, are also shareholders in the Nile Valley Gas Company, a gas transportation and distribution business, which delivers gas to customers in the Upper Egypt region.

BG Egypt, Edison International and EGPC are developers of the proposed US$900 million Egyptian LNG export project.