Gas production has resumed at Libya’s eastern Abu Tifl field and will start pumping 12,000 barrels per day of oil from next week, an engineer at the field revealed.

According to the engineer, oil production when commenced would be pumped to the port of Zuetina, one of four terminals held by forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, in September and later handed to the National Oil Corporation (NOC). He however did not disclose the amount of gas being produced at the field.

Abu Tifl was shut down for two years due to protests by local residents as well as blockades at the eastern ports that were lifted of late. The field before being shut was producing 75,000 bpd and output is anticipated to increase in the coming weeks, Reuters reports.

Libya's oil production since September increased to about 600,000 bpd, even though it is still below the 1.6 million bpd being produced before the 2011 uprising.

Anita Fatunji