Libya halts refining unit at Zawiya refinery amid pipeline closure

Libya’s National Oil Corporation announced on Saturday that it has halted one of the refining units at the Zawiya refinery.

The corporation attributed the decision to the continued forced closure of the Sharara crude oil pipeline valve by armed groups affiliated with the Petroleum Facilities Guard, according to Reuters.

The National Oil Corporation had previously stated that the forced closure of a valve on the Sharara-Zawiya pipeline by an armed group resulted in the loss of more than 720,000 barrels of production and direct losses exceeding $75 million as of Thursday.

It is noteworthy that an armed group closed valve number 7 on the pipeline transporting crude oil from Sharara to Zawiya port on September 21. The National Oil Corporation has warned that the Zawiya refinery may be forced to shut down additional units as its crude reserves dwindle.