Libya, holder of Africa's fourth-largest proven gas reserves, has made a
new gas find southwest of Tripoli amid efforts to boost the country's
hydrocarbon output, state-run National Oil Corp. said Tuesday.
A consortium of NOC, Algeria's Sonatrach, Oil India and Indian
Oil discovered gas during the drilling of the B1-96-01 exploration well
in the Ghadames basin, some 650 kilometers (404 miles)Southwest of
Tripoli, the firm said in a statement posted on its website. The well
flowed at a rate of 12 million cubic feet per day of gas through 64 and
32 inch chokes in the Tadrart formation.
In a separate statement, NOC said that it has restarted output
at Messla oil field, which is currently producing 25,000 barrels a day,
in a sign that exports could resume out of the east of the country
after a five-month disruption by protests in the region.
Both Messla and Sarir fields are producing a combined 38,000
barrels a day, it added. Messla alone has a production capacity of about
100,000 barrels a day, while Sarir can pump about 220,000 barrels.