UN: Libya's Oil Must Be Kept Away from Political and Security Conflicts

This came in a statement by the mission following the announcement by the National Oil Corporation of Libya to stop one of the refining units at the Zawiyah refinery due to the continued forced closure of the "Sharara-Zawiyah" line valve in the Hamada area (400 km south of Tripoli).

The UN mission said that the continued disruption of the line "puts additional pressure on public finances" due to the increased need to import fuel.

It called on all concerned parties to "protect oil and energy facilities and ensure the safe access of technical and operational staff to them and their maintenance"

The mission emphasized that the oil and energy infrastructure and public resources "must remain free from political and security conflicts"

It stressed the need to resolve disputes by peaceful means.

The mission warned that attacks targeting oil and energy infrastructure or any acts that may undermine it "may constitute a basis for imposing punitive measures under relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2213 (2015)"

The Sharara field is located in the Marzuq desert and is the most important field in the country, with an average production of 340,000 barrels per day, knowing that Libya depends on petroleum exports to finance its public budget by about 90 percent, according to Anadolu Agency correspondent.

Earlier on Saturday, the National Oil Corporation of Libya announced that the closure of the oil pipeline between Sharara and Zawiyah was "to ensure the continued operation of the other unit for as long as possible", indicating that it is studying programming a shipment of crude oil through one of the ports to feed the refinery and ensure its continued operation.

It added that the step comes "as a precautionary measure to avoid any repercussions that may affect the supplies of power generation stations", especially the Gharb Tripoli and Al-Harsha stations that need daily fuel supplies estimated at about 5,000 and 200 cubic meters.

The Corporation renewed its warning that the continued obstruction of crude flow through the main line will affect public oil revenues, double the bill for importing fuel, and harm the national economy.

In a separate statement on Saturday, the National Oil Corporation announced that the losses from the closure of the crude oil transfer line from the Sharara field by protesters amounted to $95 million over 5 days.

The closure of the line comes at a time when elements of the Oil Facilities Guard are demanding an increase in their monthly salaries, within a wave of similar protests witnessed by several sectors in the country.