Mellitah Oil & Gas, a collaborative venture between Italy’s renowned energy company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), is making significant strides in enhancing Libya’s gas production capabilities. This advancement is marked by the recent launch of an innovative offshore compression project.
The introduction of the Sabratha compression project marks a pivotal development in the hydrocarbon production landscape of Libya. Envisioned as a strategic initiative, this offshore project aims to enhance the gas output from the Bahr Essalam gas field, situated about 100 kilometers off the coast. Eni has labelled this development not only as crucial for output sustainability but also for future expansions.
Central to this project is the installation of a state-of-the-art 1,600-ton compression module on the Sabratha platform. This new facility comprises advanced compression trains and is designed to achieve an impressive overall capacity of around 440 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd). Such enhancements allow for efficient production, especially under low-pressure conditions, addressing the natural decline of the Bahr Essalam field while maximizing gas recovery.
The optimized processes are expected to yield an additional 800 million cubic meters of gas per year, alongside a significant amount of associated condensate. This increase will be instrumental in bolstering national electricity generation, reinforcing Libya’s energy security, and facilitating continued exports to Italy through the Greenstream pipeline.
Eni has expressed its commitment to delivering complex offshore projects like this one, stating, “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.” This emphasis showcases the partnership’s dedication to enhancing Libya’s energy infrastructure amidst ongoing challenges.
Furthermore, this compression initiative is just one facet of Mellitah Oil & Gas’s broader operational strategy. The company is currently executing two other strategic projects within Libya: the Bouri gas utilization project, which is nearing completion with ongoing tie-in and commissioning activities, and the Structures A&E project, aimed at developing two offshore gas fields. Both projects reflect a holistic approach to enhancing Libya’s gas output and utilization.
In 2025, Eni reported an equity production rate of approximately 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, underlining the scale of their operations and the extensive investment in ongoing projects. With a total investment portfolio of around $10 billion across these initiatives, the future of Libya’s gas sector looks promising.