The NC-174 Block, is located in the southwestern Libyan desert about 465 miles (800 km) south of Tripoli, Libya.
LASMO had entered Libya in 1990 with the Korean consortium named PEDCO and carried out the initial exploration programme of geological fieldwork, 2500 km of seismic acquisition and the drilling of four wildcat wells that led to two oil discoveries in 1993-94.
This initial success ensured the viability of further exploration in the area and therefore the pursuit of the Elephant Prospect. The LASMO-PEDCO exploration team had identified the Elephant feature on its extensive seismic database and negotiated with the Libyan NOC to extend the concession area to include the entire prospect.