Italian oil and gas group Eni and Algerian state company Sonatrach have started gas production at the Menzel Ledjmet East (MLE) field in Algeria
Production at the field, located in Block 405b around 1,000km from Algiers, started on 31 January 2013. The field is operated jointly by both Eni and Sonatrach.
A plant, located in the field, has the provision to allow for the treatment of rich gas for the daily production and sale of 15,000 barrels of oil and 12,000 barrels of LPG.
The project was completed around four years after Eni’s acquisition of the Canadian company First Calgary Petroleum in December 2008, which used to own the block 405b.
Eni has been present in Algeria since 1981 and has participated in 24 exploration and development licenses.
A company statement said with the start of production at the MLE field and other projects, Eni has strengthened its presence in Algeria. It has set a target to produce 100,000 barrels of oil in 2013.
