Tripoli, Libya – The National Oil Corporation (NOC) revealed on Tuesday that exploratory drilling by the Sirte Oil Company in the Murzuq Basin has led to a promising new source of crude output.
The state-run NOC said in a statement that the J3-NC101 well reached a total depth of 25,699 feet and is now producing 560 barrels daily from the Mamuniyat reservoir through a 24/64 inch choke. NOC officials described the initial results as “encouraging” and projected volumes could rise further by installing a higher-capacity pump.
This announcement comes just weeks after Sirte Oil brought an aging well in the Zaltan field back to life. The renewed C347-6 well is generating approximately 3,500 barrels per day from the Zaltan porous zone at 19,027 feet downhole through a 32/64 inch choke, according to the NOC.
Top NOC executives applauded therecent efforts of Sirte’s crews and expressed optimism that the latest wells will provide a meaningful boost to the North African country’s oil production.
Libya is home to Africa’s largest proven crude reserves, but output has remained volatile amid political instability and civil conflict since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The OPEC member currently pumps around 1 million barrels per day, down from over 1.5 million bpd before the 2011 uprising.
Bringing new wells like J3-NC101 online will be critical if the NOC hopes to raise national production back to Libya’s mandated OPEC quota of 1.25 million barrels per day in the coming months.