Libya’s oil production has almost tripled to 250,000 barrels a day since the partial lifting of the blockade on the country’s energy facilities, according to Bloomberg.
Fields that feed the three eastern export terminals of Hariga, Brega and Zueitina have added about 150,000 barrels a day of fresh output, according to sources who asked not to be identified as they’re not authorized to speak to media.
“Production will rise further as ships dock and load crude from storage tanks, allowing fields to pump more,” they said on Sunday.
The state-owned National Oil Corporation is evaluating security at Libya’s four other onshore oil ports — including Zawiya, which handles crude from Sharara, the nation’s biggest field to see if it is safe to restart.
Notably, the OPEC country member was producing 1.2 million barrels a day last year.
On 18 September, the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, announced it had reached an agreement to resume oil production with the GNA. This deal was brokered by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq, who represents the city of Misrata.
This has left the situation unclear, leaving questions whether further endorsements were required from other GNA parties. The duration of the agreement was also not immediately apparent.
On 21 August, both parties in the country declared a ceasefire, and agreed to hold elections in March 2021. Al-Sarraj announced that he would be stepping down at the end of October, to allow for the formation of a new government.
Libya descended into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled long-time ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. The instability has led the country to become a major transit point for illegal migrants to Europe.