Total Eager for Libyan Opportunities

On the run up to the North Africa Oil and Gas Summit 2012 taking place in Vienna during November the organizers, The Energy Exchange, had a chance to interview Total E&P North Africa’s VP, Jean Daniel Blasco, on the opportunities in Libya and on its return to Libya after the conflict.

Blasco revealed in the interview that the company’s main challenge was to support its operating company with NOC, the Mabruk Oil Operations, in resuming production. But the company conquered those challenges with Blasco saying, “The two fields Al Jurf (offshore) and Mabruk (onshore) are now back to their pre-war production level.”

According to Blasco another challenge faced, in addition to supporting development activities of Mabruk Oil Operations, was the re-start of its exploration activities. Libya, despite its long history as an oil producer still has significant unexplored potential.

Blasco reported: “In Libya, we are already participating in production from Al Jurf field, located offshore Tripoli and two exploration wells are planned in 2013 for this area.”

The Total VP said that while Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is increasingly important in Libya, “There is a lot to do with Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) activities on existing fields before starting costly EOR projects.”

Blasco concluded saying: “We are eager to invest more widely in Libya, to explore and develop new resources.”