Libya resumes natural gas exports to Italy

On October 13, 2011, Libya resumed natural gas exports to Italy via the 340-mile, Greenstream Pipeline (Greenstream), which is jointly owned by the Eni S.p.A. and the National Oil Company of Libya. Natural gas delivery imports to Sicily, Italy, at the Gela receipt point, are now about 150 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d).

Since February, unrest in Libya resulted in curtailed natural gas exports to Italy. Prior to the February curtailment, Libya supplied Italy with about 900 MMcf/d of natural gas, or 11% of Italy's average daily gas demand in 2010. Italy offset much of the reduced natural gas imports from Libya with increased imports of natural gas from Russia.

After natural gas flows resumed following the disruption, natural gas flowed from the onshore Wafa field about 300 miles southwest of Tripoli to Italy. Natural gas production at Wafa remained open during the crisis and supplied natural gas to Libyan power plants. Most of Greenstream's natural gas usually comes from the offshore Bahr Essalam field (see map); only those volumes from Wafa in excess of domestic consumption are available for export via Greenstream.