Italian oilfield services giant Saipem has been pre-qualified to handle Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Commissioning (EPCC) work for Production Platform E, part of the $8 billion Structures A&E Development Project. Led by Mellitah Oil & Gas, a joint venture between Eni and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), the project aims to boost Libya’s gas output to 750 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) by 2026, supplying both the domestic market and exports to Europe. Platform E, located 130 km off Libya’s coast in water depths between 205-235 meters, is expected to be one of the largest production platforms in the Mediterranean.
Speaking on the pre-qualification, Giorfio Elia, Saipem’s Managing Director for North East Africa, emphasized the platform’s scale and complexity, noting it will be a 60,000-ton structure with one of the largest jackets in the industry. The project is part of broader efforts to expand Libya’s gas infrastructure, alongside other gas ventures like the Bouri Gas Utilization Project led by Eni, which also focuses on reducing the carbon footprint. However, ongoing challenges related to Libya’s fiscal and political stability continue to present hurdles for timely project execution and foreign investment.