Italian energy company Eni said Thursday it started natural gas production from a project in Egypt through a partnership with BP.

Production from the offshore Denis-Karawan project, known also as DEKA, started at a preliminary rate of around 63 million cubic feet per day.

Eni said production comes from the first development well of the DEKA project located offshore in the Nile Delta, about 40 miles north of Port Said.

Peak production of 230 million cubic feet per day is expected by the first quarter of 2015.

Eni said the entire DEKA project includes the development of offshore natural gas discoveries through drilling five wells and installing subsea production systems that would then tie in to gas processing facilities onshore.

There was no statement on the operations from BP's subsidiary in Egypt.

The Egyptian government in May said BP is investing $1.5 billion in the oil and gas sector during the second half of the year.