A few days have passed since Emmanuel Macron announced the agreement between Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and General Khalifa Haftar on 25 July. And Italy responds. First by sending frigates to support Libyan navy operations; and now, on Monday 31 July, with the visit of the CEO of Eni Claudio Descalzi who met al-Serraj himself in Tripoli.
The meeting "took place in a climate of mutual esteem and trust" the Eni press release underlines as usual. And it was an opportunity "to take stock of the economic and political development of Libya, also in the light of the recent developments that have affected the country". On the same day, the CEO Claudio Descalzi met the President of the state company NOC, Mustafa Sanalla.
What did they talk about? Of the "possible future developments, particularly in the gas sector". Eni is in fact the country's main supplier of gas, 20 million cubic meters a day to power plants, as well as the largest foreign hydrocarbon producer in all regions of Libya which represents one of the main suppliers of oil and gas for Italy and it remained so, albeit in small quantities, even in the most difficult days of the Libyan civil war.
During the meeting, the second phase of development of the Bahr Essalam field, one of the largest fields in Libya and an important source of gas supply for Greenstream, was also discussed. This phase would involve the completion of 10 offshore wells, of which 9 already drilled in 2016 and for which Eni was awarded the contract for the supply and installation of the structures. The first gas is scheduled for 2018.
All very important deadlines for Eni, but also for the Libyans, who enjoy an exemption from OPEC production quotas.
Eni is present in Libya from 1959, where he currently produces over 350.000 barrels per day of equivalent oil.
