Eni Discovered Two New Gas Fields Offshore Libya
The Italian company Eni has discovered two new natural gas fields on the continental shelf of Libya.
This was reported by the company’s press service.
The discoveries were made during the drilling of two wells — B2-16/4 and C1-16/4 — on adjacent geological structures Bahr Essalam South 2 (BESS 2) and Bahr Essalam South 3 (BESS 3). Gas-bearing intervals were identified in both wells within the Metlaoui formation, which is the main productive reservoir.
The new assets are located at a depth of about 650 feet (approximately 198 metres), around 85 km from the shore and 16 km south of the Bahr Essalam gas field. The total recoverable reserves are estimated at 1 trillion cubic feet (28.32 billion cubic metres) of natural gas.
“The proximity of the subsoil areas to the Bahr Essalam field — the largest offshore field in the country, developed since 2005 — will allow rapid production start-up through tie-back to existing infrastructure. The produced gas will be supplied to the domestic market of Libya and exported to Italy,” the statement said.
Libya has the largest hydrocarbon reserves in Africa. At the same time, about 70% of the country’s territory and 65% of its territorial waters remain underexplored, indicating significant exploration potential. As of early 2020, proven oil reserves were estimated at 48.4 billion barrels. The country is a member of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, but does not participate in current Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus production cut agreements.
According to APO Group, Libya plans to increase oil production to 1.6 million barrels per day by the end of 2026(compared to approximately 1.4 million barrels per day at the beginning of the year). In the longer term, the country aims to reach 1.8 million barrels per day by 2027 and 2.0 million barrels per day by 2030.
Eni has been operating in Libya since 1959 and remains the largest international operator in the country’s oil and gas sector. The company is a major gas producer, supplying both domestic demand and exports to Europe via the Greenstream pipeline. Back in 2023, company representatives noted that North African countries, including Algeria, Egypt, and Libya, would be the main suppliers of natural gas to Italy in the coming years.
In 2025, the company’s average production in the country was about 162 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day. Currently, Eni is implementing three projects in Libya, two of which are scheduled to be launched in 2026.
