LIBYA: Nafoora oilfield restarts production following the country's eight month civil conflict

Record ID: 344317

  • Title: LIBYA: Nafoora oilfield restarts production following the country's eight month civil conflict
  • Date: 4th December 2011
  • Summary: AJKHARAH, LIBYA, (DECEMBER 2, 2011) (REUTERS) ROAD NEAR NAFOORA OILFIELD VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF NAFOORA OILFIELD/ MACHINERY VARIOUS OF OIL PUMPS AND RANKS (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAFOORA FIELD MANAGER, MOHAMED ASKAR, SAYING: "The challenges which we face is the spare parts, you know we have here, we use the gas left and we have some compressors and we didn't start them yet, you know, because of the manpower. Some of our manpower is not here at the moment. Some of them, you know, they were in the attacks, and some of them they joined the revolutionary troops, some of them they didn't come back yet." ASKAR LOOKS AT PAPER WORK (SOUNDBITE) (English) NAFOORA FIELD MANAGER, MOHAMED ASKAR, SAYING: "Now, I mean, from the revolutionaries now - they are taking over the security of the field. But they have administration here and everything we coordinate with them and we have no problems actually in the security. And also, I can say that all the staff here, you know, now the policy or, you know, was changed as before, they say 'we will defend, because these are our facilities for Libya and we are ready at any time, you know, to defend and take care of these facilities." MORE OF OILFIELD WORKERS AT THE STATION VARIOUS: MORE OF MACHINERY GAS FLAMES AT OILFIELD MACHINERY
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya, Libya
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict,Politics,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA8JPIE6CUV7D8S2LR93KZLRJ1U
  • Story Text: Production has restarted at the Nafoora oilfield, located 450 kilometres south-west of Benghazi, Mohamed Askar, field manager at the site said on Friday (December 02).
    The wells are now in operation and the pipelines activated as workers continue to return to the plant following the country's eight-month war.
    Nafoora, which belongs to the Benghazi-based Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO), was shut down early on in the conflict that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, but was not damaged during the fighting.
    Libya has gradually restarted producing oil and output currently stands at 840,000 barrels per day, around half of its pre-war levels, according to the National Oil Corporation.
    Some Libyan workers returned to Nafoora in September and started production a month later. The field is now producing 37,000 barrels per day, just over half of its total capacity of 70,000 barrels per day.
    Askar described the biggest challenges the site now faces:
    "The challenges which we face is the spare parts, you know we have here, we use the gas left and we have some compressors and we didn't start them yet, you know, because of the manpower. Some of our manpower is not here at the moment. Some of them, you know, they were in the attacks, and some of them they joined the revolutionary troops, some of them they didn't come back yet," he said.
    Askar said foreign contractors, working in oil services, had yet to return.
    Like at other oilfields across Libya, local revolutionary fighters have been guarding the facilities.
    "Now, I mean, from the revolutionaries now - they are taking over the security of the field. But they have administration here and everything we coordinate with them and we have no problems actually in the security. And also, I can say that all the staff here, you know, now the policy or, you know, was changed as before, they say 'we will defend because these are our facilities for Libya and we are ready at any time, you know, to defend and take care of these facilities," Askar said.
    Libya holds Africa's largest oil reserves. Before the February uprising, Libya pumped some 1.6 million barrels per day, but civil war brought flows to a standstill, cutting off exports of around 1.3 million to the international market.
    NOC Chairman Nuri Berruien told Reuters last week Libyan oil output remained on track to reach pre-war levels by the end of 2012.
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