据美国彭博新闻社11月12日开罗报道，突尼斯工业和中小企业部长斯利姆?费里亚尼12日在突尼斯表示，突尼斯与总部设在奥地利首都维也纳的奥地利油气集团（OMV）组建的12亿美元的合资企业将在今年年底前在突尼斯开始生产天然气。

费里亚尼在接受媒体记者采访时说，纳瓦拉气田的产量将使突尼斯能够将这种燃料的进口量削减30%，并将为突尼斯的经济增长率贡献整整一个百分点。纳瓦拉气田位于突尼斯南部的塔图因省，电影《星球大战》的一些背景就是在这里拍摄的。

对这个北非国家来说，这个项目是一个潜在的经济和金融分水岭，目前突尼斯的大部分能源必须进口。该国正在努力重振经济，并推进一项由国际货币基金组织(IMF)支持的旨在呼吁采取削减成本措施的计划。突尼斯政府原计划在2016年启动纳瓦拉气田，但技术和社会问题导致了这个计划延迟。

费里亚尼说，估计日产270万立方米天然气的纳瓦拉气田从明年开始将使突尼斯的天然气产量增加50%。他说，这将为突尼斯生产足够的燃料，通过管道出口到地中海沿岸，使该国能够将贸易逆差缩小7%。

OMV和突尼斯国家石油公司(ETAP)分别持有纳瓦拉合资企业50%的股份。突尼斯别无选择，只能加强其能源安全以及减少对进口燃料的需求。

李峻 编译自 彭博社

原文如下：

Tunisian gas field to start production by year-end, slashing imports

Tunisia’s long-delayed, $1.2 billion joint venture with Vienna-based OMV AG will start producing natural gas by the end of the year, the country’s industry minister said.

Output from the Nawara gas field will enable Tunisia to slash imports of the fuel by 30% and will contribute a full percentage point to the nation’s economic growth rate, Slim Feriani, minister of industry and small and medium enterprises, said in an interview in Tunis. The field lies in southern Tataouine province, which provided a backdrop for scenes in the movie “Star Wars.”

The project represents a potential economic and financial watershed for the North African country, which currently must import much of its energy.The government had planned for Nawara to start up in 2016, but technical and social issues caused delays.

With an estimated daily production capacity of 2.7 million cubic meters, the Nawara field will boost Tunisia’s gas output by 50% starting next year, Feriani said. It will produce enough fuel for Tunisia to export by pipeline to the Mediterranean coast, enabling the country to narrow its trade deficit by 7%, he said.

OMV and Tunisia’s state-run Entreprise Tunisienne D’Activites Petrolieres, known as ETAP, each hold a 50% stake in the Nawara joint venture. Tunisia has no choice but to strengthen its energy security and reduce its need for imported fuel,