Libya's Biggest Oil Field Restarts
Libya's biggest oil field resumed production, adding another complication to OPEC's effort to trim a global supply glut.
Sharara resumed production and is expected to reach 80,000 barrels in one day, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren't authorized to speak to the media. Regular output will be fully restored in the coming days, now that the site has been re-secured after a three-month occupation at the site, state energy producer National Oil Co. said in a statement.
The field in southern Libya has a capacity of 300,000 barrels of crude a day. It was shut down in December after guards and armed residents seized it over financial demands and was then taken over last month by forces loyal to eastern militia leader Khalifa Haftar.
The NOC "has received assurances that site security has been restored, verified by our own inspection team, enabling staff to return to work," Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said in the statement, which urged that the oil company remain "free from extortion and armed incursion."
The shutdown led to $1.8 billion in lost production, according to the statement.
Posted on Mar 05, 2019 at 11:29