Libya says it will restart oil field within days

Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:46pm GMT

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TRIPOLI Oct 11 (Reuters) - Production from a Libyan oil field will restart within days and the country should be able to pump 1 million barrels per day (bpd) within a year, the interim oil and finance minister said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Reuters, Ali Tarhouni said he had received a phone call the previous evening saying the huge El Sharara oil field operated by Spanish firm Repsol was ready to restart and he expected it to resume pumping within days. It produces 200,000 bpd.

"Within less that a year will be up to 1 million barrels. I am very confident of that," Tarhouni said.

Libya is struggling to resume oil production which forms the overwhelming bulk of its economy but was largely halted for the past eight months by its civil war. The country produced about 1.8 million bpd during peace time. (Reporting by Jessica Donati)

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