Libya’s oil production ascending once again

Libya, with Africa’s largest crude reserves, is staging a modest recovery as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries tries with Russia and other producers to rein in a global oversupply. Iran and the United Arab Emirates are among OPEC members expressing concern that rising production in Libya and Nigeria, the only OPEC countries exempt from cutting, is complicating the group’s effort to re-balance the oil market and prop up prices. OPEC agreed in November to let Libya and Nigeria pump at will due to their internal strife, according to Bloomberg.

While OPEC’s commitment to cutting production to clear the glut is working, the group should focus on “the situation with Libya and Nigeria,” Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Sunday in Tehran. U.A.E. Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei said Monday in Abu Dhabi that some members not subject to output cuts may be asked to join the agreement the next time OPEC meets, Bloomberg also reported.

National Oil Corp. Chairman Mustafa Sanalla met with Total SA executives on Wednesday to discuss NOC’s difficulties in maintaining crude production and obtaining funding, NOC said in a statement on its website. Total has been active in Libya since 1956 and holds a 75 percent stake in the offshore Al Jurf oil field northwest of Tripoli, according to Total’s website. The Paris-based company has suspended production onshore since 2014 because of a lack of security in the country, it said.

Libya’s crude output has risen sharply over the past year, reaching a four-year high in July, but production has fluctuated due to several brief shutdowns caused by different groups. The sporadic halts have hampered the country’s drive to become a stable producer after years of political upheaval. The country pumped 1.6 million barrels a day before a 2011 revolt sparked fighting among rival governments and militias vying to control its energy riches, Bloomberg explained.

According to Bloomberg, Libya isn’t planning to join any agreement to curb output until it reaches and maintains its target of pumping 1.25 million barrels a day by December, two people familiar with the situation said in July.