Italian energy major ENI said today it had resumed supplies of natural gas through the Greenstream pipeline linking Libya and Italy following an eight-month suspension due to the conflict.
"NOC (National Oil Corporation) and ENI today began injecting natural gas through the Greenstream gas pipeline," ENI said in a statement.
Greenstream was suspended on February 22 and ENI had warned it wanted to resume supplies as soon as possible to avoid shortages in the winter.
ENI is the biggest foreign energy producer in Libya, a former Italian colony that had close ties with Italy under ousted strongman Moamer Gaddafi. Libya accounts for around 15% of ENI's global production.
The company said the supplies would bring Italy "greater security on energy supplies".
ENI had re-started oil production in Libya on September 26. The company said it had initially pumped a volume equivalent to three million cubic metres of gas a day through the pipeline from the Wafa field, some 500 kilometres southeast of Tripoli. Wafa was the only field where ENI did not suspend production during the conflict although it reduced output to supply only the domestic market.
It said it was planning to resume gas production from the Sabratah offshore field next month in order to boost supplies through Greenstream. ENI's net oil production fell to 50,000 barrels a day during the conflict, compared to around 280,000 barrels normally.
