São Paulo – Libya’s oil output has dropped by 70,000 barrels per day (bpd), to 390,000 bpd since last week, as per a report from the Pan-African news agency Panapress. The decline is a result of partially halted production at the Al-Charara field. The spokesperson for Libya’s National Oil Company (NOC), Mohamed Al-Hariri, said the interruption was due to confrontations.
Up until last week, the country’s average output was 460,000 bpd according to Panapress. The Al-Charara field was producing 301,000 bpd, according to Hariri, whereas its full capacity is 340,000 bpd.
Libya has experienced political, economic and social instability since 2011, when a civil confrontation led to the ousting and death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who had been in power for over four decades.
According to Panapress, armed factions cause supply interruptions at oil pipelines in order to force the government to agree to their demands.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
