Libya Averaged 1.2 Million Barrels Per Day In 2021 Oil Production - NOC Chairman

Libya Averaged 1.2 Million Barrels Per Day in 2021 Oil Production - NOC Chairman

The average daily output of oil in Libya in 2021 was 1.2 million barrels per day, a 310% growth in oil exports, the chairman of the state-owned Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, said on Wednesday

CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2022) The average daily output of oil in Libya in 2021 was 1.2 million barrels per day, a 310% growth in oil exports, the chairman of the state-owned Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanalla, said on Wednesday.

"Despite all the difficulties and issues, we managed to achieve desired goals in 2021... and to maintain an average volume of oil production at 1.206 million barrels per day," Sanalla said at a press conference.

Sanalla highlighted that the total volume of crude oil delivered to ports in 2021 was over 440 million barrels, a growth of 310% from 140 million barrels in 2020.

The NOC is determined to maintain average daily volumes at the level of 1.2 million barrels in 2022, and is ready to exceed this number in the event of additional funding, the chairman said. He emphasized that oil infrastructure has severely deteriorated and has been suffering from a chronic lack of funding, resulting in over a thousand malfunctions and repairs throughout the year. The necessity of conducting maintenance at several oil fields has resulted in a decrease of average daily output to 940,000 barrels per day in January 2022, according to the NOC's data.

Libya's NOC has been struggling to control and repair oil facilities and ports, damaged during a civil war raging since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In January 2020, the Libya National Army was caught up in the fight with the Government of National Accord, resulting in a blockade of the country's oil fields and ports, and resulting in a drop in oil production volumes to 100,000 barrels per day. Since September 2020, Libya's oil sector has been reviving amid a ceasefire between rival forces.

In 2021, NOC was involved in intense political disputes over the budget, resulting in the closure of several fields for weeks on the pretext of budget concerns, which later were resolved after negotiations with the government.