Gas production from the Sabratha platform offshore Libya was restarted on Nov. 2 by Mellitah Oil & Gas, the joint venture operating company owned by the Libyan National Oil Co. (NOC), 50%, and ENI, 50%.

Production will start at 141 to 177 million cubic feet per day(MMcf/d) and will gradually increase to reach 388 to 459 MMcf/d during November, when all 15 wells on the platform will be progressively reopened. Production will also be increased when the subsea wells are put onstream in 2012.

The gas volumes will be processed at the Mellitah treatment plant complex and then shipped to Italy via the Greenstream Pipeline, which was re-opened on Oct. 13.

The Sabratha platform is located in the Mediterranean Sea, 110 km northwest of Tripoli, and produces gas from the Bahr Essalam field. It is also an important source of gas supply for the Greenstream Pipeline and to the local gas consumption in Libya. Production was shut down last February due to the conflict in Libya.

The restart of gas production from the offshore platform of Sabratha is another important step in progressively restoring production activities in all fields in Libya, according to ENI.