Libya, Eni resume Greenstream gas pipeline throughput

Oct. 13, 2011
Libya’s National Oil Co. and partner Eni SPA announced the preliminary resumption of natural gas supplies through the Greenstream pipeline from Mellitah in Libya to Gela in Italy.

Libya’s National Oil Co. and partner Eni SPA announced the preliminary resumption of natural gas supplies through the Greenstream pipeline from Mellitah in Libya to Gela in Italy.

“These amounts are limited until we decide the official amounts to be sent, and that will be by the end of November or mid-December,” said NOC Chairman Nuri Berruien. “But before that we need to determine our own domestic needs to know what’s left to export.”

The Greenstream line carried 9 billion cu m/year of gas to Italy, about 12% of its annual needs, before the outbreak of fighting in Libya forced Eni to shut down the pipeline in February. NOC and Eni own equal shares in the gas transportation joint venture Greenstream BV Libyan Branch.

Eni said the first tests of the line are being run with 3 million cu m/day, produced by Wafa field, which lies about 500 km southwest of Tripoli in the Libyan Desert.

Wafa field has been producing gas during the period of the conflict, Eni said, allowing electricity supply to the local population.

NOC and Eni said they have been working together during the recent conflict to restore production activities in all their participated fields in Libya.

In particular, they are working together to restart gas production from the offshore platform of Sabratah in Bahr Essalam gas field as well as the associated treatment and processing facilities at the Mellitah Complex. They aim to begin in November.

Eni said Bahr Essalam field is an important source of gas supply for Greenstream, and resuming production will trigger a gradual increase of the volumes availability.

Meanwhile, Eni Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni said the firm’s oil facilities in Libya, including Elephant, were not damaged.

“In the last 2 weeks, we have been in Bengasi and Tripoli, and we have launched production of 70,000 b/d from the Bu Attifel field. Preconflict production levels are expected in about 12 months.”

Before civil war erupted in February, Eni produced 273,000 boe/d in Libya.

Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].