Italian oil and gas firm Eni has discovered more than 1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas in two exploration wells drilled offshore Libya near the producing Bahr Essalam field, the company announced on Monday.
The discoveries were made at the Bahr Essalam South 2 (BESS-2) and Bahr Essalam South 3 (BESS-3) structures, located about 85 km offshore in approximately 650 ft of water and around 16 km south of the Bahr Essalam gas field.
The wells—B2-16/4 and C1-16/4—encountered gas-bearing intervals within the Metlaoui Formation, the main producing reservoir in the area.
According to Eni, data acquired during drilling and testing confirms the presence of high-quality reservoirs with strong production potential.
Preliminary estimates indicate that the two structures together contain more than 1 Tcf of gas in place.
Eni said the fields could be rapidly developed through tie-backs to existing facilities, as they are located close to the current Bahr Essalam offshore infrastructure.
The gas would be supplied to Libya’s domestic market and potentially exported to Italy.
Bahr Essalam is Libya’s largest offshore gas field and has been in production since 2005.
Eni has operated in Libya since 1959 and remains the country’s leading international operator.
The company reported equity production of about 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) in 2025 and currently has three development projects underway in the country, two of which are expected to start up in 2026.
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