By October 2018, Kuwait Energy had concluded drilling operations in its West El Khalig 1X NFW. Results are not yet available. The well was spudded in mid-Q3 2018 by the Egyptian Chinese Drilling Company #6 rig, and reached a TD of 1,326m. Total well costs were ~US$ 12 million. West El Khalig was drilled on the Umm El Yusr development lease (DL) of the Area A EPSA, onshore western Gulf of Suez. The well lies ~2km NW of General Petroleum Company's (GPC) 1980 El Khalig 4 Miocene oil discovery (TD 2,033m) and ~2km north of the Umm El Yusr Field. It is the third NFW drilled on the licence in 2018, following the North El Khalig 1X well in July 2018 and the January 2018 South Kheir 1X ST Miocene Kareem sandstone oil discovery on the adjacent Kheir DL.The "Area A" EPSA comprises six contiguous DLs. It is operated under an Exploration & Production Service Contract with state-entity GPC. Under the terms of the rare risk-service agreement, contractors/IOCs carry all the cost of exploration activity. If a development lease is granted and production commences, then contractors are paid a service fee related to output, with the state (in the form of GPC), entitled to 100% of production. Kuwait Energy (70% WI) and Petrogas (30% WI) signed the agreement in 2013. GPC holds the concession rights with 100% equity. In September 2018, Chinese-firm United Energy Group (UEG) signed a deal to acquire Kuwait Energy. As of 31 December 2018, the deal has not been concluded. 
Kuwait Energy had concluded drilling operations in its West El Khalig 1X NFW. Results are not yet available. 