On Wednesday, a member of the Board of Directors of the Brega Petroleum Marketing Company (BPMC), Abdel-Rahman Al-Obaidi, said that natural gas will be available to power plants. This coincides with the re-opening of the oil fields.
In a press statement, Al-Obaidi said this would provide additional diesel fuel for companies, citizens, and other sectors that require fuel.
He explained that the lack of gas has prompted power plants to mainly depend on diesel fuel to function. This creates a shortage for the country’s other institutions, and for drivers.
Al-Obaidi pointed out that the Tobruk Oil Refinery is scheduled to operate at full capacity, as soon as possible. He added that a tanker is expected at Zueitina next week to load 630,000 barrels. The port is storing more than 4.5 million barrels in storage.
“Libyan ports have around 24 million barrels in storage, with almost 20 million of those in eastern terminals,” he noted. Adding that, “Tobruk refinery will provide a good amount of diesel, and end the fuel shortage.”
The Tobruk Oil Refinery, affiliated to the Arab Gulf Oil Company, processes 20,000 barrels of petroleum products daily. It supplies the Brega Company with diesel and gas, and exports light diesel, and heavy petrol via the Buraiqa dock.
On Tuesday, the Chairman of the Libyan Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO), Mohamed Shatwan, announced that the Sarir oilfield has restarted production. This is after eastern forces lifted an eight-month blockade on energy facilities.
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 Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) . This deal was brokered by GNA Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq.
Exports have resumed, and some fields have begun pumping again. The NOC has said it will take a considerable time to restore output to pre-blockade levels, due to damage to the fields.
The Sirte Oil Company announced it has reached 60,000 bpd of output, in a statement given on Tuesday.