Italy’s Eni has started production from Area 1 offshore Mexico, becoming the first international company to produce hydrocarbons offshore Mexico since the country’s historic energy reform, the company said July 2.

The producing Mitzón 2 well, located in the Campeche Bay offshore Mexico, is part of an area that includes the Amoca, Miztón and Tecoalli fields. Eni acquired the area, believed to hold some 2.1 billion barrels of oil equivalent in place, during the September 2015 bid round.

“We have achieved production startup in less than two and half years after Eni started its first well in Area 1 and in less than one year from the approval of the plan of development,” Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said in the statement. “This is in line with the expectations of the Mexican government to increase the country’s overall production.”

Eni said up to 15,000 barrels of oil per day is expected to be produced during the early production phase.

“Production from the Miztón field platform, located in 34 meters of water depth, is sent through a multiphase sealine to Eni’s Onshore Receiving Facility (ORF) in Sanchez Magallanes, state of Tabasco,” Eni said. “After separation at ORF, production is delivered to Pemex’s San Ramón plant for treatment.”

Full production at Area 1 is expected to commence in early 2021 when an FPSO will be put to use, pushing production to a plateau of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, Eni said in the release.

Plans also include two more platforms on the Amoca Field and one on the Tecoalli Field, the company said.