On Monday, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the resumption of natural gas production from Brega to Al-Khums, with a capacity of 100 million cubic feet per day, after a 12-year halt.
In a statement, the company “appreciated the great efforts of all employees at the Sirte Oil and Gas Production and Manufacturing Company in order to continue the flow of fuel needed to generate electricity.”
On Sunday, the NOC announced that the facility will temporarily halt gas production at the Mellitah Industrial Complex due to planned refurbishment work.
The NOC declared that “all necessary arrangements have been taken to compensate for the shortage of gas” throughout the refurbishment, which will begin on 01 May.
According to a profile of Mellitah Oil and Gas Company by Italian company Eni, the state-owned oil company uses the Mellitah Industrial Complex to export a portion of the processed natural gas through an offshore pipe line of 32 inches/516 km, connecting the complex to the southern coast of Italy, and managed by the Green Stream.
This offshore export line is considered to be the first link between Libya and Europe, as per Eni’s profile.
On Monday, the NOC announced that crude oil production reached 1.211 million barrels per day.
The production of condensate amounted to 50,000 barrels per day during the same period., and domestic consumption of natural gas amounted to 960 million cubic feet during the past 24 hours.
Earlier this month, the NOC announced that oil production has surpassed 106 million barrels, over the past three months. Gas production has reportedly hit more than three billion cubic meters over the same period.
According to statistical data published by the NOC, oil production amounted to 106,618,853 barrels during the first quarter of 2023, which extends from 1 January to 31 March.
During the same period, total oil products amounted to 1,541,566 metric tons.
As for natural gas, it rose to 3,175,813, 729 cubic meters, meanwhile, petrochemical products hit 163,151 metric tons.
In March, the Chairman of the NOC, Farhat Bengdara said that the Corporation is seeking to maintain current levels of production and increase to 2 million barrels within 3-5 years.
In press statements, Bengdara said that the NOC’s debts amounted to $1.5 billion dollars. He explained that revenues are paid to suppliers for gasoline and diesel, in order to supply power stations and petrol stations.
Oil-rich Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the county split, with the rival administrations backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. The country’s current political crisis stems from the failure to hold elections on 24 December 2021.
The country’s Prime Minister, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba who is leading a transitional government in Tripoli has refused to step down. The country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagga, who is seeking Libya’s UN seat.
