The El Sharara oilfield in Libya has resumed activity following the success of talks with local stakeholders. Libyan National Oil Corporation Chairman Farhat Bengdara with the support of the Libyan National Army led these conversations, which concluded with an agreement that allowed production to resume.

Libyan National Army regular troops are stationed at the El Sharara facilities to guarantee the security at the installations and workforce. These troops have been essential in the stabilization of conditions on the ground in producing fields in Libya and a return to normal working conditions.

The field is ramping up to an expected 260,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) of output in coming days. El Sharara is operated by Akakus, a joint venture of the Libyan National Oil Corporation in partnership with Repsol, TotalEnergies, OMV and Equinor.

Additionally, Repsol plans to resume exploratory activity in Libya in April with up to six exploration wells in its NC115 and NC186 licenses in the Murzuq basin, in the south-west of the country, scheduled to be drilled this year.

Repsol’s first exploration and production activities in Libya date back to the late 1960s. Oil production from the north African country is crucial to European security of supply.