Sharara oil field in southern Libya (Al Jazeera)
The National Oil Corporation in Libya resumed production from the Sharara field on Sunday after protesters ended a sit-in that had halted production since early this month.
The corporation raised the state of “force majeure,” which means a “temporary” suspension of work with legal protection for the corporation against legal liability resulting from non-fulfillment of foreign oil contracts due to events beyond the control of the contracting parties.
The Sharara field is one of the largest fields in Libya, with a production capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, but it is a frequent target of local and broader protests.
The field has been closed since January 3, following a sit-in by protesters from the Fezzan region in southern Libya.
The field is located in the Murzuq Basin in southeastern Libya, and is managed by the National Oil Corporation through the "Acacus" company with the Spanish "Repsol", the French "Total", the Austrian "OMV" and the Norwegian "Equinor".
Meet demands
A video clip published by an informed source showed Fezzan movement protesters in the oil field announcing the end of their sit-in, at a time when the head of the National Oil Corporation pledged to meet all their demands.
Deputy Prime Minister Ramadan Abu Jannah told Libya Al-Ahrar TV channel that the head of the National Oil Corporation met with the protesters in the east and agreed to their demands, including the decision of the Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, to transfer the Akakus company to the southern region.
The protesters said that their demands include implementing the South Refinery project, and increasing the share of diesel supplies to southern Libya from 1.5 million to 2.5 million liters per day.
South Refinery
The South Refinery contract was signed in March 2023 between Zallaf Company, a subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, and Honeywell Engineering Company, based in the United States.
Zallaf said at the time that the project would be implemented in two phases, without revealing the timetable for the work.
The company expects its cost to range between $500 and $600 million.
The National Oil Corporation said earlier that the South Refinery will produce cooking gas, aviation fuel and other products, including 1.4 million liters per day of gasoline and 1.1 million liters of diesel per day.
Libyan oil production was repeatedly disrupted by political turmoil in the decade following the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Source: Agencies