Repsol Oil Company has said that the production of Sharara oilfield is expected to reach 260.000 barrels per day (bpd) in the coming days, following the reopening of the field by Akakus Company within a joint project between the Libyan National Oil Corporation in partnership with the Spanish company Repsol.
An official source from Repsol told the Libyan News Agency that the company was planning to resume its exploration activity in Libya next April in six exploratory wells in licenses (NC115) and (NC186) in the Murzuq Basin, southwest of Libya, which are scheduled to be drilled this year.
The source denied what was reported by foreign media regarding the closure of the Sharara field, noting that the reopening of the field came after talks between the National Oil Corporation and the protesters, thus leading to the resumption of production.
The Spanish newspaper Cronica Global said that Saddam Haftar was the one who instigated the closure of the Sharara oilfield, which is operated by Spanish, French, Austrian and Norwegian companies, after the Spanish police seized people in possession of military equipment and weapons that were destined for the United Arab Emirates, saying they were transferred to Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade, which is led by Saddam Haftar.
The newspaper reported that Saddam Haftar was able to obtain licenses to transport goods from Spain to the UAE, and succeeded in deceiving the Spanish authorities after convincing them that those shipments were destined for two companies registered in Abu Dhabi, adding that the Spanish police later discovered that the shipment consisted of weapons and military equipment scheduled to reach Tariq bin Ziyad led by Saddam Haftar, in Benghazi via the UAE.
The newspaper confirmed that Saddam Haftar - in response to the Spanish authorities confiscating military equipment - ordered the closure of the Sharara oilfield, whose daily production capacity reaches 340.000 barrels per day, stressing that the closure negatively affected the interests of the Spanish company Repsol, which operates the field.
The newspaper said that the Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade is a notorious brigade in Libya, and many international organizations, including Amnesty International, have previously called for putting charges on it for “committing human rights violations and war crimes.”
