Libya Brings Brega Refinery Back Online, Restarts Gas and Methanol Units after 9 years.
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on Sunday that the Brega refinery has returned to service following a maintenance shutdown. Alongside it, a gas-processing unit at the Brega complex and two methanol plants run by Sirte Oil Company have also restarted.
Capturing gas instead of flaring it
The most significant part of the announcement may be the gas-processing unit. According to the NOC, the unit will send 60 million cubic feet of natural gas into the national network rather than burning it off as flare. The corporation did not say what time period that figure covers, so it should not be read as a daily rate. Even so, recovering associated gas is a priority for Libya: the country’s power grid relies heavily on gas and has been hit by repeated outages, and every volume diverted from flaring adds to domestic supply while cutting waste.
A small refinery with a long history
Brega is one of Libya’s oldest refining assets, with a capacity of 10,000 barrels per day. A Libyan Audit Bureau report, cited by Reuters, has pointed to persistent technical issues linked to the plant’s age. The NOC gave no new output figures for the restarted methanol plants.
Part of a wider rehabilitation push
The restart fits into Libya’s broader effort to revive ageing energy infrastructure. In May, the NOC said it expected to bring the Ras Lanuf refinery back within six to twelve months, after an agreement handed the corporation full control of the site. Ras Lanuf, with a nominal capacity of 220,000 barrels per day, has been idle since 2013.
STRAGO perspective
Restarting and sustaining legacy facilities like Brega, and eventually Ras Lanuf, depends on experienced operations, maintenance and process engineering talent willing to work in-country. As Libya’s rehabilitation programme gathers pace, demand for these skills is likely to grow. STRAGO supports operators and contractors across Libya with specialist recruitment and in-country deployment.
Important notice
General information only. This brief is published by STRAGO International for general information and market commentary purposes. It does not constitute professional, legal, financial, investment, employment or recruitment advice, and it should not be relied upon as the basis for any decision. Readers should obtain independent advice appropriate to their own circumstances before acting on any matter referred to here.
