Libya’s largest operational oil refinery in Zawiya, located about 40 kilometers west of Tripoli, has resumed full operations after shutting down due to nearby clashes. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared an emergency and evacuated all employees from the oil complex and port as a precautionary measure.
Key Takeaways
Libya’s largest operational oil refinery in Zawiya has resumed full operations after shutting down due to nearby clashes. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared an emergency and evacuated employees as a precautionary measure. The refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, is connected to the Sharara oilfield. Clashes intensified near residential areas but caused no significant damage.
- Zawiya refinery resumes full operations after two-day shutdown
- NOC declared emergency and evacuated employees during clashes
- Refinary capacity: 120,000 barrels per day (bpd)
- Connected to Sharara oilfield with a capacity of 300,000 bpd
- Clashes intensified near residential areas but caused no significant damage
The refinery, which has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd), is connected to the country’s 300,000 bpd Sharara oilfield. Operator Azzawiya Oil Refining Company reported that heavy shelling linked to the clashes struck multiple locations within the facility. Despite several heavy-calibre projectiles landing in various parts of the oil complex, there has been no significant damage so far.
Clashes have intensified and spread into the residential area adjacent to the refinery, increasing risks to the facility and surrounding areas. The NOC assured that fuel supplies to Tripoli and surrounding areas had not been affected by the shutdown. There was no immediate indication of who was involved in the violence or its cause, though Zawiya’s security directorate described it as a “security operation against outlaws.”
Libya has experienced unrest since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Zawiya has seen repeated armed clashes that have at times forced the closure of the coastal road to the Tunisian border. Reports of unrest in the city circulated online, including unverified footage of gunfire echoing across Zawiya.
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