Libya’s El-Sharara oilfield has reached a production level of 300,000 barrels a day (b/d), almost 90 per cent of its full production capacity.

The field is located in the Murzuq basin in southwestern Libya and has a maximum production capacity of 340,000 b/d, according to a statement by state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC).

It is operated by Akakus Oil Operations, a joint venture of NOC and Spanish oil firm Repsol. The El-Sharara field comprises two oil block concessions, NC-11 5 and NC-186. The crude is transferred by a 723-kilometre-long pipeline across the Sahara desert to Akakus Oil Operations Tank Farm on the northern coast of Libya at the port of Zawiya.

The concessions were awarded in 1994 to Repsol Oil Operations Company, which was renamed Akakus Oil Operations in 2007.

Germany’s Wintershall has also increased production in Libya to 60,000 b/d at the Al-Sarah field in the Sirte basin. It was producing 90,000 b/d before the Libya conflict began in February 2011. However, ageing pipeline infrastructure has limited the company’s production increases.