Libya Oil Output Halted as Protesters Storm Mellitah Complex
Production at Libya's El Feel and Wafa oilfields has resumed after being disrupted by protesters, state oil firm NOC announced. The Mellitah oil and gas complex was stormed on Tuesday, causing operations to halt.
NOC said that security forces had regained control of the complex, a joint venture between NOC and Italy's Eni, and that gas supplies had resumed to power generation plants. El Feel, which has a capacity of 80,000-90,000 barrels per day under normal circumstances, was completely halted while Wafa production was partially stopped.
Libyan oil output has been subject to repeated closures due to political and technical issues since the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. NOC stated that the disruption at the oilfields resulted in a severe shortage of fuel and gas supplies required for power plants, with several generation units going offline.
The Libyan government said that the power grid was being gradually restored to normal after work resumed at the complex. The Mellitah platform operates the offshore Sabratha platform, which also resumed operations.