Protests have led to the closure of exports from a western Libyan oil field and a subsea natural gas link to Italy, marking the latest disruptions to the North African country’s energy infrastructure.
The Wafa field’s output of 40,000 to 45,000 barrels a day won’t reach the port of Mellitah for exports after a valve was closed on Sunday, the person said, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public. The oil is being stored at the field’s site, where tanks can hold about seven days of production, they said.
The pipeline to Italy carries about 200 million cubic metres of gas per day, or about 20% of the total output of the fuel of Mellitah Oil & Gas Co., according to the person.
Protesters shut down the Mellitah complex earlier Sunday in a dispute primarily over wages, according to a spokesman for the demonstrators. The group said it also closed access to the El Feel field and Al-Zawiya refinery, where production is still underway.
If the protests continue, these projects could fully halt and result in a force majeure, a clause in contracts allowing deliveries to be suspended, according to a letter to the government signed by a board member of the state-run National Oil Corp.
Regular protests in Libya have frequently disrupted output, with the largest oil field, Sharara, experiencing a force majeure last month.
