Algeria's oil firm Sonatrach resumes drilling in Libya after 10-year halt

By Muetaz Wannes and Rania Abu Shamala

TRIPOLI, Libya/ISTANBUL (AA) – Algeria’s oil and gas firm Sonatrach has resumed oil exploration operations in Libya after more than a decade-long hiatus, Libya’s national oil company said Thursday.

In a statement, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said Sonatrach restarted exploration activities in Block 96/2 in the Ghadames Basin of northwest Libya in mid-October.

The Algerian company had previously begun drilling the exploratory well 1–96/2 in April 2014, reaching a depth of 8,090 feet, before halting operations and evacuating the site in May 2014 due to security instability.

According to the NOC, Sonatrach now plans to complete drilling to a final expected depth of 8,440 feet.

The well lies within the contract area 95/96 of the Ghadames Basin, near the Libyan-Algerian border.

Sonatrach originally signed an exploration and production-sharing agreement for this area in 2008.