Tunisia's ETAP reports 51, 000 barrels of oil a day

29 maggio 2015

1 min di lettura

(AGI) Tunis, May 29 - Mohamed Akrout, CEO of Tunisia's EnergyCompany ETAP, disclosed to local media data on the country'soil production, which is estimated to be of 51,000 barrels aday. The executive said rumours of huge underground oilreserves reported by the organisers of the "Where is the Oil?"campaign are completely ungrounded. The rumours were recentlycirculated on social media in order to discredit thegovernment. The ETAP chief announced that the Ministry ofIndustry intends to use a method of transparency in publishingenergy production data in an effort to respond to claims ofnumbers-rigging and speculation. Mr Akrout confirmed a totaloil production of 51,000 barrels a day, i.e. 4,000 barrels perday less than in the past, because of the closing of the Kebeliwell in the Faouar region following protests. He also said thatthe country's natural gas production amounts to 6.9 millioncubic metres a day, which is insufficient to meet domesticdemand of 15 million cubic metres a day, which peaks at 20million in the summer season. This situation obliges thecountry to import 55 percent of its natural gas from Algeria.Turning to explorations in the south of the country, Mr Akroutsaid that 10 companies, mostly foreign, are currentlyconducting exploration. He added that four oil wells have beenbrought on stream in collaboration with Algeria's Sonatrachcompany on the border with Algeria, with an estimatedproduction capacity of 40 million barrels a day. "The discoveryis small compared to production levels of other countries, butit is important for us," he said. (AGI) . .