Africa-Press. The National Oil Corporation in Libya announced the resumption of production at the fields of “Fiel” and “Wafa” after operations were halted due to protesters storming the Mellitah oil and gas complex and closing it during the early hours of Tuesday.
The Government of National Unity in Tripoli stated that security forces regained control of the complex, which is a joint project between the National Oil Corporation and an Italian company, confirming the resumption of gas flow to power generation stations.
The National Oil Corporation reported that work also resumed at the offshore Sabratha platform, after the closure of the Mellitah complex caused a complete halt in production at the Fiel field and a partial disruption of operations at the Wafa field. The Fiel field has a production capacity that typically ranges between 80,000 and 90,000 barrels per day, and it is operated by the Mellitah Oil and Gas Company.
The corporation had previously warned in a statement that the storming and closure of the complex led to a severe shortage of fuel and gas supplies necessary for operating power stations, resulting in several generation units going offline and increasing the risk of a complete power outage.
The General Electricity Company later announced the gradual restoration of the network to its normal state after work resumed at the complex and gas supplies returned to the generation stations. The Mellitah complex plays a crucial role in processing oil and gas produced from onshore and offshore fields and is a primary source of gas used in operating Libyan power stations.
The Fiel field is one of the most prominent oil fields in southwestern Libya, while the Wafa field produces oil and gas near the border with Algeria, with their operations linked to facilities of the Mellitah Company. Libya primarily relies on oil revenues to finance its public budget, and the shutdown of fields and facilities directly impacts revenues, electricity production, and essential services.
