Libyan crude oil production reached 1.214 million barrels per day (bpd), and condensate production reached 53 thousand bpd during the past 24 hours.
In a statement, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) added that the total domestic consumption of natural gas amounted to 676 million cubic feet.
According to the NOC, the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL), consumed the largest share of gas by about 504 million cubic feet, while the rest was distributed to the NOC, the iron and steel complex, cement factories and other small factories.
Last month, the NOC’s Chairman, Farhat Bengdara, said that they are aiming to boost oil production by about 8%, by December 2023.
“Avoiding field closures and steps like improving oil workers’ pay has already helped boost output by nearly a quarter since January 2022, to 1.2 million barrels a day now,” Bangdara told Bloomberg in an interview.
“North Africa’s biggest producer should be able to pump about 1.3 million bpd by the end of the year,” he added.
Bengdara pointed out that $17 billion of investment across 45 projects would allow the NOC to raise production to 2 million barrels a day within five years. He affirmed that the government will offer rights to develop additional fields next year.
He said that the NOC is restarting the natural gas supply from the Mellitah complex after maintenance, adding that flows should remain stable for the next five years.
The NOC on Tuesday signed a $1.05 billion deal with Italy’s Eni SpA to capture flared natural gas, a project that should start operating in 2025.
“Italy’s Eni SpA and BP Plc are set to start new drilling operations by the end of 2024,” Bengdara revealed.
Notably, Libya has resumed pumping gas exports to Italy after a two-week halt, following extensive maintenance work at the Mellitah complex, North of Libya.
Italy’s Nova Agency quoted Libyan energy expert, Mahmoud Mohamed, as confirming that the Mellitah complex resumed operations on Tuesday. Gas flows from Libya to Italy stopped from the 30th of April to the 15th of May, according to data from the Italian company Snam.
At the end of April, the NOC announced that the facility will temporarily halt gas production at the Mellitah Industrial Complex due to planned refurbishment work.