Operations to install an oil refinery in the south will begin within 36 months, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) chief, Farhat Bingadara, has confirmed.

The contract with the US Honeywell company was to increase the production capacity of the refineries in Zawiya and to find solutions for the Ras Lanuf refinery, Bingadara was quoted by the NOC as saying.

"We aspire to reach a stage of self-sufficiency in fuels and stop importing from abroad due to the high cost," he added.

According to the NOC head, Honeywell will implement smart technology solutions in oil and gas facilities, such as condensation, recycling, converting gas emissions into commodities, or forwarding them to power stations.

As one of the main pillars in the oil sector, the NOC places great interest in refineries, Bingadara noted.

On Sunday, Zallaf Libyan Oil & Gas company signed an agreement to start constructing the South Refinery project with the American Honeywell UOP consortium.

The NOC said the step comes to alleviate the suffering of the southern community, resolve the fuel shortage crisis there, and create a spatial development in the south.