Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids Country Notes

Like France and Germany, Italy has a long history of oil production, albeit on a very small scale until the discovery of the Ragusa and Gela fields in Sicily in the mid-1950s. Subsequent exploration led to the discovery of a number of fields offshore Sicily, several in Adriatic waters and others onshore in the Po Valley Basin.

The Italian WEC Member Committee reports that proved recoverable reserves at end-2005 were 106 million tonnes (equivalent to some 744 million barrels). It also estimates that the additional amount of oil in place is in the order of
400-2 700 million barrels (say, 60-380 million tonnes).

Total oil output (including minor quantities of NGLs) in 2005 was at a record annual level.