Anadarko is working on a development plan and expects to tender the front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract towards the end of 2003. An engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract award is scheduled for mid-2005, with production due to start in 2007 at more than 100,000 barrels a day (b/d). Development will entail drilling more than 100 wells and constructing processing facilities.

Anadarko at the same time announced that, in the five years since beginning production in Algeria, total output has exceeded 200 million barrels. In early 2003, the company brought on stream the Ourhoud field with capacity of 230,000 b/d. Anadarko also operates block 404 in the Berkine basin, where a new discovery was made in March (MEED 28:3:03).