After false rumors of the closure of the giant Libyan Sharara oil field on Tuesday, a letter from Libya’s National Oil Company on Wednesday confirms the shutdown of one of Libya’s most important oil fields. According to Libya’s Al-Ahrar disgruntled protestors took to the field on Wednesday morning stating that the field would not be re-opened until their demands and those of the entire region of Fezzan in Southern Libya would be met. Fears are that the protests may spread to the nearby 60,000 bpd El Feel field. The 300,000 bpd Sharara field saw a short disruption for the last time in July of 2023 when protests erupted following the arrest of an official who tried to become the boss of Libya’s central bank. During a period of relative stability following the truce between the rivaling parties in 2020, Libya’s crude oil production has risen to around 1.2 million barrels per day, and Libya’s state oil firm has plans to ramp up production to 2 million bpd by 2030 according to Minister of Oil and Gas Mohamed Oun.
