Libya is planning to raise oil production to 2.2 million barrels a day (b/d) by 2015, with the possibility of raising production further to 3 million b/d by 2020, said Abdulbaset Abadi, a member of the National Transitional Council (NTC) oil committee, at MEED’s Libya Focus event in Dubai on 16 May.

He added that more details plans are expected to emerge after the formation of a new National Congress following elections planned for mid-June.

Libyan oil production is expected to reach its pre-civil war level of an average of 1.6 million b/d within the next month.

Production currently stands at approximately 1.5 million b/d, says Mustafa el-Huni, the deputy chairman of the NTC.

Libyan production fell to a low of 400,000 b/d in 2011 during the peak of fighting between forces loyal to slain former leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebels. Much of the damage to the country’s oil infrastructure came from the looting of facilities and vehicles rather than to actual production capacity. Many wells were hastily shut-in during the fighting, so it remains unclear if there will be any long-term damage to the oil fields.

Only the Ras Lanuf and Sider oil export terminals were damaged during the conflict. Sider was destroyed by shelling by forces loyal to Gaddafi.