Libya resumed production at the key Waha oilfield last week bringing overall production to 580,000 barrels per day, a senior Libyan oil official said on Tuesday. The Opec member's production has been crippled for several years by an on-and-off blockade of its largest export terminals, militant attacks by groups including Islamic State and a lack of a unified government.
The Waha field, operated by the Waha Oil Co, is one of the main contributors for the major Es Sider export grade. It is the first Es Sider field to resume and was producing 50,000 bpd as of Tuesday. Output used to be around 330,000 bpd pre-war but some infrastructure has been damaged and capacity is lower. The output is being redirected to the Ras Lanuf export terminal instead of the usual Es Sider port owing to limited storage, the official, who declined to be identified, added.
The Es Sider port now only has a storage capacity of 1.2 million barrels versus its pre-war level of 5 million barrels after being badly damaged by fighting with Islamic State. The Es Sider grade will eventually be split between the two ports to avoid bottlenecks as output increases.
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