KEY POINTS
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One worker died and four others were injured in the explosion.
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A suspected gas leak triggered the fire at the Marsa Brega complex.
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Repairs are expected to take at least two weeks, with no reported disruption to oil production or domestic gas supplies.
One worker has been killed and four others injured after a fire triggered an explosion at a gas processing complex operated by Libya’s state-owned Sirte Oil Company in Marsa Brega.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC), which owns Sirte Oil Company, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, November 11, saying the explosion occurred at the facility but did not disrupt the country’s gas supplies or crude oil production.
NOC Chairman Massoud Soleman said preliminary findings suggested that the fire was caused by a leak in a gas pipeline supplying one of the plant’s boilers.
The incident forced the company to shut down the entire facility as a precaution while emergency teams worked to contain the fire and secure the affected infrastructure.
Gas leak suspected as cause of explosion
Soleman said initial information pointed to a leak in the gas line connected to one of the facility’s boilers.
The NOC said firefighters successfully contained the blaze, isolated the gas pipelines and brought the situation under control.
Residents of Brega reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing thick black smoke rising from the complex.
Although the incident caused casualties and damage to the facility, the NOC maintained that operations across the wider energy sector were continuing normally.
The corporation said there had been no interruption to domestic gas supplies or crude oil production.
Repairs expected to take at least two weeks
Soleman told Reuters that repairs at the affected facility were expected to take at least two weeks.
He also raised concerns about delays in government budget allocations and disbursements, warning that the funding problems had contributed to the postponement of essential maintenance and equipment overhauls.
According to the NOC chairman, inadequate funding for routine maintenance could lead to similar incidents and potentially more serious industrial accidents in the future.
His comments point to the maintenance challenges facing parts of Libya’s oil and gas infrastructure, where ageing equipment and technical problems have added to operational difficulties.
Libya’s energy sector faces recurring disruptions
Libya’s oil and gas industry has experienced repeated disruptions since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Political disputes, security challenges and technical problems have affected production and operations across the sector.
The latest explosion adds to concerns about the safety and reliability of the country’s energy infrastructure, particularly as the NOC seeks to maintain production and expand oil and gas activities.
Despite the incident at Marsa Brega, the corporation said the country’s crude oil output and domestic gas supplies remained unaffected.
