Eni's giant Libyan oil field Elephant restarts production

LONDON -- A giant Libyan oil field partly owned by Eni SpA restarted production Thursday, a top official at the Libyan company overseeing the operation said Thursday, well-ahead of expectations as the country's post-war oil resumption gains momentum.
In an interview, Mohamed Jamaleddin, a member of the management committee of Mellitah Oil and Gas BV, said "we started the [first] well gradually" at the Elephant field in the Southern desert.
Reports had previously suggested it could take many months to restart the facility after it was damaged and shutdown during the civil war.
Eni couldn't immediately comment Thursday.
The resumption of Eni's largest Libyan field comes after the recent restart of Repsol YPF SA's  giant Sharara field.
Libya now expects production to reach up to 800,000 barrels a day by year end--about half of its pre-war production--, Nuri Berruien, chairman of Libya's National Oil Co., said earlier Thursday.
Mellitah's Jamaleddin also said the "pipeline operation already started" from Elephant at a flow of 40,000 barrels a day, though it is currently transporting oil stored at the field.
Elephant's output normally accounts for about 25% of Eni's Libyan production and, according to Jamaleddin, averaged 130,000 barrels a day before the war.
"Return to full production will take a bit more time," he said. It is currently restricted by limited availability at the local export terminal and will depend on the condition of the wells that are still closed, the official said.
But another Libyan oil official said it could take as little as a week to return to normal.
In another piece of positive news for Eni's Libyan operations, NOC's Berruien said production at the 40,000 barrels-a-day offshore Bouri field could restart "anytime, very soon" but within a week.