Libya’s National Oil Company (NOC) announced it is keeping the Sharara oilfield closed despite pressure from officials to pay off the protesters who shut it down, Reuters reported.

The oilfield is the biggest in Libya with production capacity around 315,000 barrels per day (b/d).

The Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj went to the field on December 19 to meet the protesters and attempt to reopen the field.