Sonatrach, Algeria’s national oil company, in collaboration with Italy’s Eni have completed the construction of the gas pipeline connecting Bir Rebaa Nord (BRN) and Menzel Ledjmet Est (MLE) fields in the Berkine Basin, Algeria, according to a press release.

The BRN-MLE pipeline is 185 km long and 16 inches in diameter with a transport capacity of 7 million standard cubic meters of gas per day, which would facilitate exporting any associated gas in Block 403 in addition to developing gas fields in the area.

Furthermore, the drilling of the first four wells in North Berkine was completed and linked, a year after the February 2019 farm-in agreements in the concessions of Sif Fatima II, Zemlet El Arbi and Ourhoud II.

The project is expected to produce a total of 6.5 million cubic meters of gas and 10,000 barrels (bbl) of associated liquids. Combining it with the oil development process, production would increase to 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) by 2020.