Libya Makes New Gas Discovery

Posted: Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Libya, holder of Africa's fourth-largest proven gas reserves, has made a new gas find southwest of Tripoli amid efforts to boost the country's hydrocarbon output, state-run National Oil Corp. said Tuesday.

A consortium of NOC, Algeria's Sonatrach, Oil India and Indian Oil discovered gas during the drilling of the B1-96-01 exploration well in the Ghadames basin, some 650 kilometers (404 miles)Southwest of Tripoli, the firm said in a statement posted on its website. The well flowed at a rate of 12 million cubic feet per day of gas through 64 and 32 inch chokes in the Tadrart formation.

In a separate statement, NOC said that it has restarted output at Messla oil field, which is currently producing 25,000 barrels a day, in a sign that exports could resume out of the east of the country after a five-month disruption by protests in the region.

Both Messla and Sarir fields are producing a combined 38,000 barrels a day, it added. Messla alone has a production capacity of about 100,000 barrels a day, while Sarir can pump about 220,000 barrels.

(DowJones)