Eni starts natural gas production in eastern Algeria
Eni SPA recently started production from two natural gas fields related to the Berkine South contract in eastern Algeria, just 6 months after the contract was awarded, through a fast-track accelerated development.
Berkine South, the first contract to be signed under new Algerian Hydrocarbon Law 19-13, is producing at 1 million standard cu m/day (MMscmd) gas and about 4,000 b/d associated liquids. Capacity is expected to increase to around 2 MMscmd by end-2022, completing full capacity of Menzel Ledjmet East field’s 11-MMscmd gas treatment plant.
Eni last month agreed to acquire bp’s operations in Algeria, including the gas-producing In Amenas and In Salah concessions (OGJ Online, Sept. 7, 2022). Following this acquisition and the development programs in Berkine basin, Eni's production in Algeria is expected to exceed 120,000 boe/d in 2023.
Earlier this year, Eni signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with state oil company Sonatrach, Occidental Petroleum Corp., and TotalEnergies SE for Blocks 404 and 208 in Berkine basin (OGJ Online, July 20, 2022). Berkine South is operated by Eni and Sonatrach.

Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).