PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Libya: Authorities forecast rise in oil production
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) – The Libyan authorities say they are working hard to ensure the full resumption of oil production across the country, oil industry sources said on Sunday, banking on the resumed production from the ports of al-Harriga and Zueitina, in the eastern part of the country.
“Technical systems are being established for the resumption as soon as possible of exports at the oil ports of al-Harriga (110,000 barrels/day) and Zueitina (100,000 barrels/day)," said the sources which indicated that the resumed production also at al-Charara and al-Fil (in the South) will also help to vault daily production to 600,000 barrels.
The Libyan national oil company (NOC) on Thursday lifted the case of force majeure on the oil port of al-Harriga, following its placement under the supervision of the government, as well as that of Zueitina, following an agreement with the armed groups who have been controlling operations there since July 2013.
The oil terminals of Zueitina and Al-Harriga (East), controlled for several months by armed groups in conflict with the government, were reopened on 6 April after a peace deal focusing on six points -- the setting up of an investigation commission, the payment of salary arrears to the guards of the oil installations and the end of legal proceedings against the perpetrators of the blockades.
The lifting of the blockade in the two oil ports: al-Sedera (340,000 b/day) and Ras Lanouf, which should begin production in two weeks, according to the terms of the agreement with the armed groups, will take the country back to its normal production target of 1.5 million b/day.
Since the fall of the Kaddafi regime in 2011, several protest movements have regularly disrupted Libya's oil sector, causing a drop in production to record levels.
Oil production in Libya, Africa’s fourth largest oil producer (at 1.6 million barrels per day) before the revolution in 2011, had in 2012 reduced production to 1.5 million barrel/day before dropping further, at the close of the oil terminals in the East by separatist armed groups.
-0- PANA BY/BEH/MSA/VAO 13April2014
“Technical systems are being established for the resumption as soon as possible of exports at the oil ports of al-Harriga (110,000 barrels/day) and Zueitina (100,000 barrels/day)," said the sources which indicated that the resumed production also at al-Charara and al-Fil (in the South) will also help to vault daily production to 600,000 barrels.
The Libyan national oil company (NOC) on Thursday lifted the case of force majeure on the oil port of al-Harriga, following its placement under the supervision of the government, as well as that of Zueitina, following an agreement with the armed groups who have been controlling operations there since July 2013.
The oil terminals of Zueitina and Al-Harriga (East), controlled for several months by armed groups in conflict with the government, were reopened on 6 April after a peace deal focusing on six points -- the setting up of an investigation commission, the payment of salary arrears to the guards of the oil installations and the end of legal proceedings against the perpetrators of the blockades.
The lifting of the blockade in the two oil ports: al-Sedera (340,000 b/day) and Ras Lanouf, which should begin production in two weeks, according to the terms of the agreement with the armed groups, will take the country back to its normal production target of 1.5 million b/day.
Since the fall of the Kaddafi regime in 2011, several protest movements have regularly disrupted Libya's oil sector, causing a drop in production to record levels.
Oil production in Libya, Africa’s fourth largest oil producer (at 1.6 million barrels per day) before the revolution in 2011, had in 2012 reduced production to 1.5 million barrel/day before dropping further, at the close of the oil terminals in the East by separatist armed groups.
-0- PANA BY/BEH/MSA/VAO 13April2014
