A spokesman for the National Oil Corporation in Libya, Mohamed al-Harari, has said that for the past two weeks the county’s oil output plunged between 295,000 and 350,000 bpd due to long-lasting power supply problems.

He said the unavailability of power from the public electricity network had hindered the supply of oil from the eastern Sarir and Messla fields, but he is confident that output will improve shortly to between 360,000 and 370,000 bpd.

According to Reuters, Libya's oil output dropped from over 1.6 million bpd in 2011, as a result of the  political chaos and armed conflict in the country.

Anita Fatunji