The Ministry of Industry announces a vast drilling program led by the Italian-Tunisian company SITEP to reduce the national energy deficit.
The Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy announced the implementation of a petroleum development and exploration program in the El Borma field, led by the Italian-Tunisian Petroleum Exploitation Company (SITEP). This plan, which will extend until 2030, aims to strengthen national hydrocarbon production and reduce the energy deficit.
The project provides for the drilling of ten new oil and gas wells, two of which will be carried out in 2025 and 2026, according to the ministry’s response to a written question sent by a deputy of the Assembly of People’s Representatives regarding the situation of SITEP.
The company, with public participation, does not fall under the classic public procurement regime, but applies procedures validated by its board of directors, specifies the note. The commissions for opening technical and financial offers, as well as the procurement commission, include representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry.
Concerning the drop in production from the El Borma field, the ministry explains that it results from the natural decline of the deposits, estimated at around 8% per year, but also from technical constraints: delays in the supply of equipment, maintenance problems with drilling equipment and financial difficulties having discouraged certain suppliers from participating in calls for tenders due to accumulated debts.
Despite these obstacles, El Borma’s production recorded an increase of 15% at the end of March 2025, compared to the same period of 2024. An improvement that the ministry attributes to the company’s sustained efforts to restart production.
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