Libya Challenging conditions

Torn by years of civil war, division and instability, the oil-rich North African nation remains in a state of transition. The situation continues to be tense. Also for Wintershall Dea’s activities in Libya, the recent years have brought about tremendous change.

Operatorship transferred to joint venture in line with EPSA

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Wintershall Dea Libya Desert Oasis
Wintershall Dea Libya Desert Oasis
Credit
Wintershall Dea/Shawn Baldwin

Wintershall Dea has been involved in the exploration and production of crude oil in Libya since 1958. The company participates in onshore oil production in the Eastern Sirte Basin and holds a stake in the offshore field Al-Jurf. Since 2011, activities in the country have been affected by the difficult political and security situation in the country. Production from the onshore fields had to be reduced and has even seen significant interruptions in recent years due to recurrent blockades of the export infrastructure. Wintershall Dea is monitoring the situation in Libya very closely. After all, the safety of our employees and their families is of highest priority.

Wintershall Dea Quickfact Libya
Wintershall Dea Quickfact Libya
Wintershall Dea map Libya
Wintershall Dea map Libya

Where we are active in Libya

Through its affiliate Wintershall Aktiengesellschaft (WIAG), Wintershall Dea participates in crude oil production from nine oil fields across Contract Areas 91 (former Concession 96) and 107 (former Concession 97) in the Eastern Sirte Basin, about 1,000 kilometres southeast of the capital Tripoli in the Al-Wahat municipality. Since 2008, Gazprom EP International has a share of 49 per cent in WIAG. After 54 years of own operatorship, WIAG in October 2020 has handed over operatorship of Contract Areas 91 and 107 to Sarir Oil Operations, a joint venture of WIAG with Libya’s National Oil Corporation that has been newly established following the conversion of the former concession agreements to the EPSA IV contractual standard at the end of 2019.

Wintershall Dea also holds a minority stake in offshore oil production from Al-Jurf offshore platform in Contract Areas 15/16/32 (former Block C137). The platform, operated by Mabruk Oil Operations, is located in the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 kilometres off the country’s Western coast. Moreover, Wintershall Dea operates Contract Area 58 on the Cyrenaica Plateau as well as Contract Areas 69/70/86/87 (former NC193) and 88/89 (former NC195) in the onshore Sirte Basin, but exploration activities in these areas have been suspended since 2014 due to the difficult security situation.

2020

Sarir Oil Operations has assumed operatorship of Contract Areas 91/107.

>2

billion U. S. dollars have been invested in exploration and production in Libya.