Egyptian Companies to Return to Libyan E&P Sector - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

NOC chairman Eng. Mustafa Sanalla met with Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Eng. Tarek El Molla, and senior officials of the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum, in Cairo on October 27, 2019. The meeting was held to further mutual cooperation between NOC, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum, and Egyptian oil companies.

Eng. El Molla stressed the importance of enhancing Libyan-Egyptian mutual cooperation and emphasized Egyptian companies’ aspirations to resume work in Libya. The Minister also confirmed that Egyptian oil companies have been directed by the Ministry to return to doing business and to proceed with currently suspended projects in Libya.

The NOC chairman briefed the Egyptian attendees on NOC’s plans to increase oil and gas production in Libya and invited Egyptian oil companies to contribute to the implementation of these plans both technically and commercially. Sanalla also commended Egyptian state-owned enterprise Petrojet, which previously completed the Wafa oilfield pipeline in western Libya.

Libya’s Faregh Field Development Phase 2 to Boost Production - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Faregh field development Phase 2 is to boost daily production capacity to a quarter-billion cubic feet of gas and 15,000 barrels of condensates

In an important step toward achieving the production targets of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), Waha Oil Company (WOC) announced the beginning of operating tests of the Phase 2 of the Faregh field development project, starting on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 to pump gas to the Intisar 103 field. At a later date, gas will be shipped to the coastal network, to which the field is connected. This step is a significant achievement of NOC and WOC to serve Libyans and the national economy.

Faregh’s gas will be used to increase the efficiency of crude oil production at the Intisar 103 field and could supply the power plants in the Eastern Region, replacing subsidized liquid fuel, a measure that is both cost-saving and environmentally friendly. The project will also increase gas supply to methanol plants and the Libyan Norwegian Fertilizer Company (LifeCo) in Marsa El Brega.

NOC is awaiting the General Company for Gas Transmission & Distribution’s completion of gas pipeline installations to connect the Faregh field with the Sarir power plant, carried out in collaboration with Petrojet, an Egyptian company.

Waha Adds Faregh Field to Libyan Totals - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Waha Oil Company, a NOC subsidiary, completed preparations on another horizontal well in the Faregh field ahead of the planned start of second-phase experimental gas production. Waha is expected to start the second-phase of experimental gas production at the end of Q1 but was able to move the date forward by almost two months.

According to NOC, the initial tests indicate that the B B-14-59 well is expected to produce up to 24 Mmcf/d of gas, and 1,500 bpd of condensate. This well is in addition to the expected 33 Mmcf/d of gas, and 1,400 bpd of condensate production capacity of well B B-10-59, completed in November 2018.

NOC chairman, Mustafa Sanalla thanked staff dedicated to this project and underlined the importance of a refocused Faregh field to provide gas for local community use, and the fostering of further regional economic development.

TransGlobe Spuds on South Ghazalat - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Thursday, October 25, 2018

TransGlobe Energy spud its SGZ 6X well on the South Ghazalat concession in Egypt’s Western Desert. The well, the second exploration well in the concession, was spud on October 23.

The SGZ 6X is located on the eastern portion of the concession offsetting the Raml oil field in the Abu Gharadig basin. The SGZ 6X prospect is targeting stacked Cretaceous oil targets similar to the producing Raml and SW Raml fields.

On TransGlobe’s South Alamein concession, also in the Western Desert, the company received notification from the military that access will be granted to drill the South Alamein 24X (SA 24X) Jurassic exploration prospect. It has submitted the required documentation and is awaiting final written approval which is expected prior to year-end. Concurrently, the company initiated preparations to drill SA 24X as part of the 2019 exploration program.

Significant Gains at Abu-Attifel Field - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Libya’s NOC reported that Mellitah Oil & Gas (MOG) has made “significant gains” at the Abu-Attifel oilfield. These gains come despite the security issues and logistical constraints the company faces at the oilfield.

MOG completed operating tests for a TC5 Solar Gas Turbine on October 13. This equipment is part of an impactful low-pressure flare project increasing low-pressure well gas production which then transfers to a LNG plant. The project has succeeded in increasing condensate quantities by 2,000 bpd to 9,500 bpd and reduced the proportion of ‘off-gas’ flaring to zero.

The National Drilling and Well Maintenance Company, owned by NOC, also helped MOG complete the maintenance of well No 56, restoring it to the production of 4,800 bpd of oil and approximately 9 Mmcf/d. The maintenance of well No A49 is expected to complete before the end of the year, thereby raising production by a further 1,000 bpd.

ENI Finalizes Lucrative Shorouk Stake Sale - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Thursday, June 21, 2018

ENI finalized the sale of a 10% stake in its Shorouk concession to Mubadala Petroleum, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company. The Shorouk concession is located offshore Egypt, holding the massive Zohr gas field.

Following a record start-up less than two and a half years from discovery, the project is now in its ramp-up phase with the aim of reaching 2 Bcf/d of total installed treatment capacity by the end of the year, and a production plateau of 2.7 Bcf/d by the end of 2019.

Claudio Descalzi, ENI CEO said: “We welcome today’s announcement with Mubadala Petroleum, a strong and reliable partner with whom we look forward to working with. Working alongside significant partners such as Mubadala Petroleum, BP and Rosneft is a further boost for the development of Zohr and underlines the quality of the asset, which will play a fundamental role in supporting Egypt’s goal of achieving energy independence.”

Sanalla Pays Visit to Al Sharara - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Friday, June 30, 2017

The chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, paid a visit to the Al Sharara oilfield recently where he met with safety and security officials from the field. The Al Sharara is the oil field where an employee drowned in the swimming pool in early June.

Sanalla extended his deepest condolences on the death of Ibrahim Abu Grasa and told workers he was there to listen to the problems of the workers and check on their conditions at the field.

The NOC chairman also paid a visit to the field’s production units, Contract Area No. 186, Early Production Area, Contract Area No. 115 and the requisite facilities where he listened to detailed explanations on the work progress. In addition he discussed with workers the problems and difficulties that they were facing in their efforts to maintain or increase production rates.

Sanalla promised to continue working hard in order to mitigate the difficulties that were discussed in spite of the difficult financial circumstances of the oil sector. The delegation also visited the accommodation of the guards and looked at the living conditions of the individuals assigned to guard the field which have to be improved.

Eastern Libya Takes Away Glencore’s Crude - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Monday, June 19, 2017

Authorities in Eastern Libya have withdrawn Glencore’s rights to export oil from the Marsa al Hariga port. The withdrawal of rights can be attributed to the fact that one of the oil trader’s major shareholders is Qatari firm Qatar Holding LLC.

Leaders in eastern Libya are apparently joining the rest of the Arab world in the isolation of Qatar for its alleged sponsoring of terrorism.

If Glencore does not export the production from the Marsa al Hariga port, this effectively takes 250,000 bpd of Libyan crude off the market as the oil trader has exclusive marketing rights for the oil coming from the eastern fields.

Phase One Drilling Complete on Zohr - PETROLEUM AFRICA

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

First flows from the Zohr field off the coast of Egypt have moved a step closer as the operator, ENI, has completed drilling work on all eight wells in the first phase of the development.

ENI, who is partnered with BP and Rosneft on the Shorouk Concession where the Zohr field is located, is currently focusing on setting up the pipeline that will transport the gas for processing.

Natural gas production from Zohr field is expected to reach its peak in 2020, at a rate of 2.7 Bcf/d.

Shell and Egypt agree on repricing of Phase 9C gas - ENERGY EGYPT / PETROLEUM AFRICA

September 17, 2016

Shell and Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources have reached an agreement on gas procing for one of Shell’s fields in the North African country. The two parties agreed to re-price gas produced in phase 9C from Burullus field, which came to Shell when it acquired BG.

The repricing pegs phase 9C at the same pricing as phase 9B of the Burullus field and will range from between $2.50 and $5.88 per thermal unit a Al Borsa News report said.

Egyptian Military gives TransGlobe green light on South Alamein - ENERGY EGYPT / PETROLEUM AFRICA

September 17, 2016

TransGlobe Energy has finally received the approvals needed to proceed with its exploration program on its South Alamein Concession in Egypt. The company had been waiting to receive military access approvals in order to move forward on its program.

The approvals are the result of significant efforts on the part of the Minister of Petroleum, EGPC and TransGlobe personnel.

The concession, acquired in July 2012, contains the Boraq 2X discovery and several additional exploration targets. The concession had been placed in suspense due to military access restrictions and has approximately 20 months remaining on the final exploration phase. The company will begin making preparations to appraise and develop the Boraq 2x discovery and expects that initial drilling may be possible before the end of 2016.