Libya's NOC Says Recent Oilfield Closures Caused Loss of around 63% of Total Oil Productions

 A general view of Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Company in Ras Lanuf, Libya, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Company in Ras Lanuf, Libya, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Libya's NOC Says Recent Oilfield Closures Caused Loss of around 63% of Total Oil Productions

 A general view of Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Company in Ras Lanuf, Libya, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)
A general view of Ras Lanuf Oil and Gas Company in Ras Lanuf, Libya, August 28, 2024. (Reuters)

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Friday that the recent oilfield closures have caused the loss of approximately 63% of the country's total oil production.

Highlighting that the oil sector represents the backbone of the Libyan economy, NOC said restarting the halted oilfields will require huge costs and double technical efforts.

It emphasized that the "reasons that led to the oil closure have nothing to do with the National Oil Corporation," adding that the corporation's teams are assessing losses resulting from the closures.

The repeated shutdowns result in the loss of a large portion of the country's oil production, cause a deterioration of the sector’s infrastructure, and dissipate efforts to achieve the production increase plan, NOC added in its statement.



China's Lending to Africa Rises for First Time in Seven Years

Water vapor rises from cooling towers of a China Energy ultra-low emission coal-fired power plant in Sanhe, Hebei province, China (Reuters / Shivani Singh)
Water vapor rises from cooling towers of a China Energy ultra-low emission coal-fired power plant in Sanhe, Hebei province, China (Reuters / Shivani Singh)
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China's Lending to Africa Rises for First Time in Seven Years

Water vapor rises from cooling towers of a China Energy ultra-low emission coal-fired power plant in Sanhe, Hebei province, China (Reuters / Shivani Singh)
Water vapor rises from cooling towers of a China Energy ultra-low emission coal-fired power plant in Sanhe, Hebei province, China (Reuters / Shivani Singh)

Chinese lenders approved loans worth $4.61 billion to Africa last year, marking the first annual increase since 2016, an independent study showed on Thursday.
Africa secured more than $10 billion in loans a year from China between 2012-2018, thanks to President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but the lending fell precipitously from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Last year's figure, a more than three-fold increase from 2022, shows China is keen to curb risks associated with highly indebted economies, the study by Boston University's Global Development Policy Centre found.
The new data comes as Beijing prepares to host African leaders next week for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which takes place every three years.
Last year's biggest items include a nearly $1 billion loan from China Development Bank to Nigeria for the Kaduna-to-Kano Railway and a similar size liquidity facility by the lender to Egypt's central bank.
China has vaulted to the top bilateral lender for many African nations like Ethiopia in recent years.
Nearly a tenth of 2023 loans were for three solar and hydropower energy projects, the study found, illustrating a desire by China to move into funding renewable energy instead of coal-fired power plants.
In a separate development, the Chinese government affirmed on Thursday that quarter of all the country’s energy consumption now comes from clean sources, as Beijing rapidly pivots its huge economy to a greener footing.
The country is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, though has in recent years emerged as a global leader in renewable energy.
A white paper published Thursday said the proportion of “clean energy” in total national consumption rose from 15.5% to 26.4% over the past decade, according to State news agency Xinhua.