Gas production at western Libya's Mellitah complex resumed on Tuesday, the state oil company said, after government forces regained control from protesters angry at recent power cuts who had forced their way inside. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced it had "authorized the resumption of gas production and the return to normal operations" following the "complete securing of the complex by the Government of National Unity and the establishment of a safe environment". Production had also resumed at the oil fields and the offshore platform that feed the facility, the NOC said. The Mellitah Oil and Gas consortium, controlled by the NOC in partnership with Italy's ENI, which operates the complex, welcomed the development. At full capacity, the facility produces eight billion cubic meters of gas annually for export to Italy, as well as five billion for local power plants. Earlier, the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) said it had ordered the army "to immediately take full control of the Mellitah gas complex and to reopen the gas pipelines" after protesters forced their way in, risking a blackout. The protesters, angered by frequent and prolonged power cuts, had brought the facility to a halt after getting inside on Monday night. "Several groups of people entered the Mellitah complex to shut off the gas valves supplying power plants, which threatens to put several plants out of service and increases the likelihood of a general collapse of the power grid," electricity company GECOL said. An official at the complex had previously told AFP on condition of anonymity that talks were "underway to persuade the protesters to allow operations to resume". Their presence "poses a high risk" to the operation of the complex and its control rooms, the official said. Overnight, scores of young people dumped rubbish in front of the headquarters of oil and gas companies in Tripoli, chanting "The people want the fall of the regime" in a protest against power cuts and the high cost of living. Libya has the most abundant oil reserves in Africa, but has been divided ever since it was plunged into war during the ouster in 2011 of former leader Moammar al-Gaddafi. In recent days, hundreds of residents of the Tripoli area have demonstrated against interruptions in the power supply.
