By: AGBI

Libya’s gas production will increase after the state-backed National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italy’s energy company Eni completed the upgrade of the Bahr Essalam gas field.

The Sabratha compression project will enable production under low-pressure conditions, offsetting the natural decline of the Bahr Essalam field, 100km northwest of Tripoli.

It will maximise gas recovery by 800 million cubic metres per year, Eni said in a statement.

The additional production will play a critical role in sustaining national power generation, reinforcing Libya’s energy security and supporting exports to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline.

Bahr Essalam is the largest offshore field in the country and has been in operation since 2005.

Eni is currently working on two additional projects in Libya – the Bouri gas utilisation project and Structures A&E for the development of two offshore gas fields.

Last week, NOC said that the country’s oil production hit its highest since 2013, nearing the official target of 1.5 million barrels per day.

Libya had 48 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of 2020, the largest in Africa and nearly 3 percent of the global total.

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has boosted the appeal of the North African producer to international oil companies after nearly two decades of stalled activity.