Gas boost offshore Libya as Eni and NOC’s project comes online

June 29, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Mellitah Oil & Gas, a joint venture (JV) between Italy’s energy giant Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), has fortified Libya’s gas production with the start-up of an offshore compression project.

Sabratha platform; Source: Mellitah Oil & Gas

Mellitah Oil & Gas has achieved hydrocarbon production from the Sabratha compression project, which Eni describes as a strategic offshore development designed to sustain and increase gas output from the Bahr Essalam gas field, located approximately 100 kilometers off Libya’s coast.

This project consists of the installation of a new 1,600-ton compression module on the Sabratha platform, equipped with new compression trains, providing an overall compression capacity of about 440 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd).

The new module is said to enable production under low-pressure conditions, offsetting the natural decline of the Bahr Essalam field and maximizing gas recovery, ensuring increased volumes of gas of about 800 million cubic meters per year and associated condensate.

The Italian giant emphasizes that the additional production will play a critical role in sustaining national power generation, reinforcing the country’s energy security, and supporting export to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline.

“The successful start-up of the Sabratha compression project confirms Eni and NOC’s commitment to timely deliver complex offshore developments, even in challenging environments,” highlighted Eni.

“The project strengthens the resilience of Libya’s gas infrastructure and represents a tangible contribution to the stability and growth of the country’s energy sector.”

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There are two additional strategic projects presently in execution in the country: the Bouri gas utilization project, whose tie-in and commissioning activities are underway after the recent installation of the gas recovery module, and Structures A&E, where execution is ongoing to develop two offshore gas fields.

Eni, which recorded an equity production of approximately 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025, has three development projects currently in execution for a total investment of about $10 billion.

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