"Due to unplanned maintenance at the Mellitah complex, there will be a considerable decrease and probable cessation of gas shipments to Italy." ENI made the announcement. "All efforts are being made to remedy the problem as quickly as possible." It is a severe concern for Italy since the Mellitah facility is the key center for the export of Libyan gas to Italy through the Greenstream, a 500-kilometer route that connects the Libyan coast treatment plant with Gela in Sicily. The annual capacity of the pipeline is between 8 and 10 billion cubic meters. From 1 January to 13 December 2022, Italy imported over 2.5 bcm of gas through the Greenstream, according to statistics analysed by Snam. A few days ago, some people from the coastal town of Zuwara in western Libya blocked access to the Mellitah oil plant. They did this because they wanted the company that runs the site, Mellitah Oil & Gas, to hire local workers. Presently, the firm, a joint venture between Italy's ENI and the National Oil Corporation (NOC), was in negotiations with a delegation of residents.
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