Libya targets restart of Ras Lanuf oil refinery within a year

Libya aims to restart the Ras Lanuf Refinery within 6 to 12 months, as the country seeks to strengthen domestic fuel supplies and revive key energy infrastructure, Akhbar Libya reported on May 13. 

Speaking to journalists, the head of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) Masoud Suleman said the refinery would initially operate at around 200,000 bpd before gradually returning to full capacity. Suleman said funding had already been allocated for the restart project, with maintenance costs expected to total around $60mn. He added that the NOC already possesses the workforce and equipment needed to carry out the rehabilitation work.

The Ras Lanuf Refinery is Libya’s largest, with a production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) would initially operate at around 200,000 bpd before gradually returning to full capacity. 

The refinery has been offline since 2013 because of an arbitration dispute between the NOC and its Emirati partner in the Trasta joint venture. A few days earlier, NOC signed a final agreement with Trasta ending the partnership and transferring full ownership of the refinery and the wider Ras Lanuf complex back to Libyan control.

The refinery's output will mainly serve the domestic market, with marketing operations handled by Brega Petroleum Marketing Company. The announcement comes days after the shutdown of the Zawiya Refinery following clashes nearby, noting ongoing security risks facing Libya’s energy sector.