Libya's eastern government says all oilfields to close

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Oilfields in eastern Libya that account for almost all the country's production will be closed and production and exports halted, the eastern-based administration said on Monday.

There was no confirmation from the country's internationally recognized government in Tripoli or from the National Oil Corp (NOC), which controls the country's oil resources, Reuters reported.

NOC subsidiary Waha Oil Company, however, said it planned to gradually reduce output and warned of a complete halt to Libya's production.

Waha, which operates a joint venture with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips, has a production capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) which is exported through the eastern port of Es Sider.

It operates five main fields in the southeast including Waha which produces more than 100,000 bpd as well as Gallo, Al-Fargh, Al-Samah, and Al-Dhahra.

Nearly all of Libya's oilfields are in the east, which is under the control of Khalifa Haftar who leads the Libyan National Army (LNA).

The Benghazi government did not specify for how long the oilfields could be closed.