TotalFinaElf and partners Repsol YPF (operator), OMV and Saga have just made a fourth oil discovery on Libya’s Block NC 186. Well D1 was drilled in the Murzuq Basin, 800 kilometres south of Tripoli, and encountered a significant oil column in the Hawaz sandstone formation.

During production tests the well flowed at a rate of 2,286 barrels per day
of 41°API crude oil on a 16/64-inch choke.

Development studies have already been carried out for two of the three other discoveries on Block NC 186 and a development plan submitted to state-owned NOC.

All of the discoveries are located close to the El Sharara fields in Block NC 115, which produce around 165,000 barrels per day of light (44°API), sweet crude oil and in which TotalFinaElf has a 30% working interest in the foreign consortium. The El Sharara production facilities have sufficient capacity to process and export additional oil output.

This latest find strengthens TotalFinaElf’s position in Libya, where the Group also operates the Mabruk field, in the western part of the Sirte Basin, which produces 18,000 barrels per day of light crude oil (35°API). In addition, the Group is carrying out exploration activity elsewhere in the Murzuq Basin and in the Sirte Basin. Early this year, TotalFinaElf also launched the development of Block 137 offshore Libya.