Mellitah Oil & Gas, a joint venture between Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italian energy giant Eni, has appointed US-based Hill International to provide project management services for its $8 billion Structures A & E project in offshore Libya.

The announcement was revealed in a news report by Offshore Energy and confirmed by Energy in Africa on Tuesday.

The project will develop two offshore gas fields with a targeted production capacity of 750 million cubic feet per day.

“Our local team looks forward to collaborating with Mellitah and Hill’s global network of energy experts to deliver the megaproject as envisioned, helping ensure energy security for Libyans and customers throughout the region,” said Raouf Ghali, Hill’s CEO.

“This new assignment is a testament to our company’s long-term commitment to delivering the infrastructure of change in the country.”

What the project entails

The development will include two offshore drilling platforms and related infrastructure to transport natural gas from the fields to the existing Mellitah Complex for processing and distribution. 

A carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility is also planned as part of the project.

Hill International will provide end-to-end project management support, including planning, design coordination and reviews, procurement assistance, and oversight through to the closeout phase.

Production start-up is targeted for 2026, with the project expected to meet domestic energy needs and boost Libya’s gas exports to Europe.

Libya’s oil sector sees a revival

Libya’s oil and gas sector is experiencing a revival after years of political instability that forced operators to halt operations. 

The country holds about 91 billion barrels of oil equivalent in undiscovered resources; the largest reserves in Africa and among the top 10 globally.

Before the 2011 uprising, Libya was producing around 1.6 million barrels of oil per day, but output plummeted to almost zero during the conflict. Today, renewed drilling activity has lifted production to approximately 1.3 million barrels per day. 

Major international operators including BP, Eni, OMV, Weatherford, ExxonMobil, and Repsol have either resumed or expanded their presence in the country in recent years.

The Mellitah project’s advancement signals growing investor confidence in Libya’s upstream sector.

Hill’s President for the Middle East and North Africa, Waleed Abdel-Fattah, described the sanctioned Structures A & E development as a project of “great national and international importance” to Libya.