Eni and Libya's NOC launch Sabratha Compression Project

Eni, in partnership with the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) through the Mellitah Oil & Gas joint venture, has started hydrocarbon production enabled by the Sabratha Compression Project, a strategic offshore development designed to boost gas output from the Bahr Essalam gas field, located around 100 km off the coast

The Sabratha Compression 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 MMscfd.

The new module enables 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 metres per year and associated condensate. This additional production will play a critical role in sustaining national power generation, thus contributing to Libya’s energy security, and supporting export to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline.

Exploration activities yielded positive results in March 2026 with the Bahr Essalam South 2 (BESS 2) and Bahr Essalam South 3 (BESS 3) offshore discoveries. Preliminary estimates indicate that these discoveries jointly contain more than 1 Tcf of gas in place. Their proximity to the existing production facilities of the Bahr Essalam field will ensure a fast-track development.

Two additional strategic projects are presently in execution in the country: Bouri Gas Utilization Project, whose tie-in and commissioning activities are currently underway after the recent installation of the Bouri Gas Recovery Module, and Structures A&E, involving the development of two offshore gas fields. 

Eni has been present in Libya since 1959 and is the country’s leading international operator, with an equity production of approximately 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025 and three development projects currently in execution for a total investment of about US$10bn.

Libya’s efforts to boost oil and gas production following years of civil war have met with considerable success. Sirte Oil Company for Production and Manufacturing of Oil and Gas has recently successfully returned well J-03 in the Metkhendoush field to production. This follows the completion of the installation and commissioning of an electric submersible pump (ESP) artificial lift system, as part of the company’s efforts to maintain production rates and increase the production capacity of its oil fields, through well development and rehabilitation programmes, as well as improved operational efficiency.
The NOC’s crude oil production has now reached around 1.3-1.4mn bpd, the highest level since 2013, and well on the way to its goal of producing 1.6mn bpd by the end of 2026, rising to 2mn bpd in the medium term.