Two major fields reopen in Libya as disputes are settled

State firm NOC says it can recover output quickly and add to capacity, but some believe the country’s political disintegration makes this unlikely

Libya’s oil output could double by the end of the year as two major fields shut in by local disputes are brought back on stream, senior officials from the country’s energy ministry said on 19 October. Total output capacity could “easily” exceed 1.2m barrels/day (b/d) thereafter, provided the country’s political strife is resolved, they added. In mid-October, Libya was producing 440,000 b/d, a small increase on recent months, following the resumption of exports from the Zueitina export terminal, in the country’s east. Before the war in 2011, output capacity was 1.6m b/d. Mustafa Sanallah, chairman of state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC), said on the sidelines of an IRN conference in Londo