An official from the Libyan oil ministry has denied reports that Libya might result to sourcing oil from offshore fields in order to supply Zawiya Refinery comfortably. Being the source of fuel products for western Libya, Zawiya requires 120,000 bpd of oil. The refinery is being supplied by the Brega port in the east of Libya. It is being used as an alternative supply of oil to the refinery since the closer of El Sharara oilfield at the west, which is a major oil supplier to the refinery.
A spokesman for National Oil Corp (NOC), which is a state-owned corporation, had said Wednesday that Libya might have to source oil from the Al Jurf and Bouri offshore fields to meet demands at the refinery. Since last summer, the Libyan government has been battling with protests at oil fields and ports. Bad weather is also hampering arrival of fresh oil imports to supply of petrol stations in Tripoli according to officials. Many of these petrol stations remain closed.
However, it was expected that the situation could improve within 24 hours of arrival of a tanker on June 8, according to an official from Brega firm. Brega is the supplier of local markets. Protesters in the rest of Northern country were blocking export terminals or oil fields, making it difficult for oil export.
In April, a deal that allowed reopening of two eastern ports was struck between the government and the federalist group led by Ibrahim al-Jathran, a civil war veteran in 2011. The two of the four ports on the eastern side had been blocked since July 2013. However, since then, Zueitina has run out of crude oil as a result of stopped production at the connecting oilfields.
Zawiya Refinery reopened on April this year after shutdown following group protests.
