Libya Hopes to Restart El Feel Oilfield Next Week

Libya hopes to restart oil production at the southwesterly El Feel field next week, a spokesman for the state National Oil Corp (NOC) said on Tuesday.

NOC shut down the field more than a week ago when clashes forced the closure of the neighbouring El Sharara oilfield. Both sites use the same power supply.

NOC spokesman Mohamed El Harari said engineers had started technical checks and maintenance work at El Feel, which is operated jointly by NOC and Italy's ENI SpA (E).

He said NOC hoped to resume production at El Feel next week unless major technical issues came up during the checks, but that the El Sharara field remained shut.

A worker at El Feel confirmed that engineers were preparing to restart the field.

NOC has not published any recent production data but El Feel was pumping at least 80,000 barrels a day earlier this year. El Sharara was pumping at least 200,000 bpd until clashes between local tribesmen and state oil guards broke out this month.

NOC failed to resume output at the El Sharara field last week after unknown people blocked a pipeline.

The struggle for control of El Sharara is part of the turmoil pitting competing militias and tribes against each other, three years after Muammar Gaddafi was ousted.

(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli; writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Kevin Liffey)