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JOURNAL 17
TUNISIA THE
CROSSROADS
OF THE
MEDITERRANEAN
E
conomic relations between
Tunisia and Italy, which is
its second largest trading
partner, have always been
close and rewarding, and
the energy sector is no ex-
ception. Exploration activi-
ties began in 1956, the year
in which the former French
colony gained independen-
ce. In 1964, three years
after the start of its activities in the
North African country, Eni found de-
posits of crude oil near the Algerian
EUROPAAFRICA EUROPEAFRICA
border, in the dunes of the Grand Erg
Oriental. This was the site of El Bor-
ma, which is still operated by the six-
legged Dog. It is the largest oil basin
in the country and one of the largest
in the Sahara. Subsequently, other
important extraction areas were di-
scovered in the waters east of Sfax,
in the Gulf of Gabes. Another im- metres south of Tunis, and the Bordj Larish SE-1 exploratory well. The
portant production area is the off- el Kadra licence, located near the oil well has been connected to the exi-
shore site of Ashtart, which ac- production and processing plant sting structures in the area.
counts for more than 20% of Tunisian operated by Eni. In 2006, in the La- The absolute importance of Italian
crude output. The largest natural gas rish concession (Eni 50%), layers of energy supply for Tunisia is not re-
field is also offshore, north of the is- mineralised oil were also found at a lated to its production capacity. This
land of Djerba, which is connected to depth of about 3,000 metres via the is important yet insignificant com-
Sfax by a pipeline.
Eni's production in Tunisia amounts
to approximately 17 thousand barrels TRANSMEDITERRANEAN
of oil equivalent per day. In addition SICILIA
to the site of El Borma, the major Ita- TUNISI GELA
lian company undertakes production MALTA
in the Hammoud and Oued Zarr oil VALLETTA
and natural gas fields, where it has
a 50% share. Eni has also underta-
ken a joint venture with the Tunisian BAHR ESSALAM
government resulting in the con-
struction of the Bizerte refinery,
which is still the only one in the coun- TUNISIA MELLITAH TRIPOLI
try. Recent achievements by the six-
LIBIA
legged Dog in the country include the
drilling, in January 2007, of explo-
ratory wells called Karma-1 and Na- UPSTREAM
khil-1, located respectively in the TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
Adam concession, about 700 kilo- WAFA
18 JOURNAL
THE LINKS BETWEEN ENI TRANSMED
Transmed was inaugurated in 1983. The first agreements between Agip and Sonatrach,
AND TUNISIA DATE BACK the two companies operating the pipelines system, date back to 1972, while the
definitive contract has been signed in 1977, when Tunisia undertook the building and
TO THE EARLY 1960S, WHEN the management of the pipeline lines that would have passed through its territory,
where there is the linking coupling of the 550 km long pipe transporting the gas from the
THE ITALIAN COMPANY Hassi R’Mel field, the richest in Africa. Transmed has been subsequently expanded
with a new agreement, signed in 1990, that brought to the construction of a second line,
DISCOVERED THE OIL FIELD parallel to the pre-existing one. The arriving point is near Bologna, in Minerbio, in the
Po Valley, where the gas enters the national distribution system. The six compression
OF EL BORMA, THE plants built for the first line have been enlarged and improved, then it was needed to
build just two new lines. On the whole, Transmed is 2.580 km long, 550 in
COUNTRY’S LARGEST. Algeria, 370 in Tunisia, 160 in the Mediterranean Sea and 1.500 in Italy.
YET TODAY THE HISTORIC pared to the enormous production of stages: 3.2 billion cubic metres of gas
COLLABORATION BETWEEN its Mediterranean neighbours, Alge-
ria and Libya. It is because Tran-
per year from 1 April 2008 and 3.3
billion cubic metres of gas per year
THE SIX-LEGGED DOG AND smed, the pipeline system that tran-
sports gas from the vast Algerian de-
starting from 1 October 2008.
The historic collaboration between
TUNISIA IS MAINLY LINKED posits to Italy, runs through Tunisian
territory. Transmed, which opened in
Eni and Tunisia was further enhan-
ced on 4 January 2008, during a vi-
TO THE DEVELOPMENT 1983, is operated by Agip and So-
natrach, the Algerian state energy
sit to Tunis by the CEO of the six-leg-
ged Dog, Paolo Scaroni. But the fu-
OF TRANSMED, THE GAS company. . In May 2005, an agree-
ment was signed between Eni and
ture development of the Transmed
project was not the only subject of
PIPELINE THAT TRANSPORTS Sonatrach to expand the pipeline of
the Trans Tunisian Pipeline Compa-
the meeting between the Italian
CEO, the Tunisian Prime Minister
ALGERIAN GAS TO ITALY ny (TTPC). This will take place in two Mohamed Ghannouchi and the Mi-
JOURNAL 19
EUROPAAFRICA EUROPEAFRICA
nister of Industry, Energy and Small
and Medium Enterprises, Afif Chel- L’ETAP
bi. The talks also concentrated on de- The Tunisian government currently controls 50% of the country’s oil industry via the
veloping two oil and gas fields loca- state company Enterprise Tunisienne d'Activités Petrolières. The company was created
ted in the Gulf of Hammamet, which, in 1972 to manage exploration and extraction. The contractual dynamics between Etap
once fully operational, will make an and foreign investors have become more flexible with the approval of the new law on
important energy contribution to hydrocarbons in 2000. This is part of the general process of modernisation of the
the Tunisian economy, which is no country's economy by President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who has been in office since
longer able to meet domestic demand 1987. The new rules provide for a reduction of between 75% and 50% for operators that
for oil without resorting to imports. allow Etap to hold a share of at least 40% in the concession. Also active abroad, Etap
At the same meeting Scaroni an- has signed a cooperation agreement with Iraq and, in 2004, an understanding with the
nounced a four-year investment Syrian government for the exploration of basins in the north-east region of the Middle
plan for the country amounting to East country. The Tunis company has also signed joint venture agreements
330 million euros. with its larger sister companies Noc and Sonatrach.
Superficie: 163.610 Km2.
Economia / Economy:
Consumi gas / Gas consumption mln mcu / million m3 3.850 / 3,850
Consumi petrolio / Oil consumption bbl/g / bls/day 91.110 / 91,110
Riserve gas / Gas reserves mld mcu / billion m3 2,55 / 2,55
Riserve petrolio / Oil reserves mln bbl / million bls 400 / 400
Produzione gas / Gas production mln mcu / million m3 2.500 / 2,500
Produzione petrolio / Oil production bbl/g / bls/day 86.210 / 86,210
Esportazione gas / Gas export mcu / m3 0/0
Esportazione petrolio / Oil export bbl/g / bls/day 73.790 / 73,790
Fonte/Source: Cia World Factbook
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