13 Nov 2011

ENI re-starts oil production in Libya

9:07 pm on 13 November 2011

Production has re-started at ENI's largest oilfield in Libya, which is pumping 40,000 barrels per day.

Some 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) were pumped before the war from El Feel in the southwestern desert region of Fezzan.

Field manager Hussein Abuseliana said on Saturday that five wells have restarted.

El Feel is adjacent to El Sharara oilfield, which is operated by Repsol of Spain. El Sharara restarted production last month.

The head of Libya's National Oil Corporation said this month that Libya's oil production had risen to 567,000 bpd.

Before the February uprising, Libya was pumping around 1.6 million bpd, of which 1.3 million was for the international market, until the civil war caused a virtual halt in output.

Interim oil minister Ali Tarhouni said on Thursday that output will exceed 700,000 bpd by the end of this year and will be back to pre-conflict levels by about June 2012.

ENI of Italy was the largest foreign oil producer in Libya before the war.