Italy’s Eni expects to ramp crude oil and natural gas production in Libya to pre-civil war levels by the middle of 2012, having been forced shut down production for eight months on 2011.

The company’s management expects to reach 230,000-240,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe/d) on average for 2012, compared to 108,000 boe/d in 2011 and 267,000 boe/d in 2010, according to a 5 April filing to the US’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The 2011 civil war forced Eni to shut down almost all of its producing facilities, including exports through the Green Stream gas pipeline to Italy for eight months, “with the sole exception of certain gas fields to support local production of electricity for humanitarian purposes”.

Production has now increased to near pre-civil war levels and should reach a plateau of 280,00 boe/d and full ramp-up is expected by the second half of 2012.

Production losses were estimated at an average of 200,000 boe/d for 2011.

The Green Stream pipeline, jointly-owned with the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) is also expected to achieve full operations this year and gas supplies from Libya to Italy restarted. The 520-kilometre long pipeline transports 8 billion cubic metres a year of natural gas produced at the offshore Bahr Essalam and onshore Wafa fields to Melliita on the Libyan coast to Gela in Sicily.

Operations were suspended from 22 February 2011 to October 2011. Full production at the two fields supplying the pipeline is expected during the second half of 2012.