Libya expects to resume natural gas exports through the Greenstream pipeline to Italy by 8 March following a shutdown at the Mellitah Oil & Gas facility in the northwest of the country.

The facility was closed on 3 March after violent clashes between militia guards and local tribesmen. One death was reported, but the facility was not damaged, according to sources at state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC).

“The incident was outside the fence. Staff were evacuated and the plant was shut down by workers on the orders of NOC and the chairman of Mellitah [Oil & Gas] because of the threat of a potential accident,” says the source.

NOC sent a high level technical team to the site in the northwest town of Zawara, 110 kilometres from Tripoli on 5 March. Gas exports were expected to resume within 48 hours of the visit.

Mellitah Oil & Gas is a joint venture of between NOC and Italian oil firm Eni. Its facilities are dedicated to processing and exporting oil and gas from the onshore Wafa, and offshore Bouri and Bahr Essalam fields. Gas from the Mellitah complex is transported to the Greenstream gas compression facilities, based at the same site, before being pumped to Sicily and onto mainland Italy.