Massive offshore industrial infrastructure for Libya’s Bouri gas project sets sail from Italian port

The Libyan government announced Friday that a massive offshore industrial infrastructure for the Bouri gas project set sail from an Italian port as part of a multibillion-dollar plan aimed at recovering gas previously burned off and converting it into usable resources.

The government said in a statement that the offshore platform left the Marina di Ravenna port after nearly two years of construction and preparation work.

It said the platform is expected to arrive at the field site within four days.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation said the contract to build the massive offshore industrial infrastructure for the Bouri gas project was signed with Italian company Saipem in August 2023 with a budget of $1.565 billion, of which about $928 million had been spent by December 2025.

According to the corporation, the next phase involves transporting project units to the Bouri field ahead of heavy-lift operations and technical linking with platforms 3 and 4.

The project aims to utilize a design capacity of up to 125 million cubic feet per day of natural gas and reduce gas flaring at the Bouri offshore field to zero as part of Libya’s plan to eliminate gas flaring by 2030.

The corporation said the project is expected to enter production in September 2026, helping boost domestic gas supplies and export surplus volumes.

Located around 130 kilometers (81 miles) off Libya’s coast, the Bouri field is considered one of the largest offshore fields in the Mediterranean basin and is operated by Italian energy company Eni.

Libya produces around 2.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, while production reached 62.69 billion cubic feet in April, according to National Oil Corporation data.

The country is seeking to increase gas production and expand exports to Europe by 2030, relying on reserves estimated at around 80 trillion cubic feet in addition to newly announced discoveries.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref