Tunis – The crude oil reserves that are still productive in Tunisian fields are estimated to contain 450 million barrels, not including the non-conventional deposits of shale gas, informed the Prospect and Production director of the Ministry of Industry of Tunisia, Ridha Bouzouada.
The director added that extraction operations may continue for another 16 years, provided the current production average of 27 million barrels per year is maintained, which is the equivalent to 65,000 barrels per day, and not considering new prospects.
From January to October 2013, national production of crude oil, according to Bouzouada, reached 18.71 million barrels, a decrease by 7.2% over the same period in 2012, even with the production increase in the fields of Asdrubal, close to the city of Sfax, Baraka, in the Hammamet Gulf, and Amani, in Tatouine.
Bouzouada emphasized that, in spite of the prospection and exploitation activities, “new discoveries are few and cannot overcome the natural production regression in the great oil fields.” To illustrate this, the country’s production in 2008 was of 31.7 million barrels, that is, there has been a significant decline in five years.
As well as the natural reduction in the great fields of Borma, in Tatouine, and Ashtar, in the Gabès Gulf, the director said the reasons for the decline in production were stops for maintenance and control in certain wells, and the social movements in the country.
Tunisia, it should be recalled, gave start to the so-called Arab Spring, with the downfall in January 2011 of the then president Zine El Abdine Ben Ali, who had been in power for over two decades.
Tunisia is still going through social and political turbulence. This Friday (10), the president of the country, Mocef Marzouki, asked the new prime-minister, Mehdi Jomaâ, until recently minister of Industry, to form a government, after Ali Larayedh stepped down on Thursday.
The change in command occurs after months of negotiation between local political forces and amidst debates on the new Tunisian constitution. Jomaâ was nominated for the position to lead a government of technocrats until the country holds new elections.
Gas
As for natural gas, Bouzouada informed there are reserves of 81 billion cubic meters, a volume which may be exploited for 20 years, with a production average of 3.6 million cubic meters per year. National gas production reached 2.41 million cubic meters from January to October 2013, an increase by 6% in relation to the same period in 2012.
The director explained that the performance occurred thanks to the production increase in the fields at Asdrubal, close to Sfax, and Adam, in Tatouine. As well as the activities carried out by the national oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activites Petrolieres (Etap), there are 45 active permits and 52 exploitation and production concessions have been signed with 60 companies, of which four Tunisians and the remaining foreign or mixed companies.
Bouzouada also informed that US$ 300 million shall be invested in prospection in 2014.
*Translated by Alexandre Rocha with information from the ANBA Newsroom. Translated to English by Silvia Lindsey.
Comments