TRIPOLI: Libyan protesters have shut down an eastern gas field and threaten to close the western Wafa oil and gas field, which would stop gas exports to Italy, a spokesman for state oil firm NOC said.

The closure will worsen widespread power cuts and might shut down one of the last revenue generators for the central bank as major oilfields have already stopped working.

The eastern Irda gas field had shut down and a second gas field called Sahel might follow in the next two days, said Mohamed El Harari, a spokesman for NOC. Both fields have a combined gas production of 150 million cubic feet a day (mcfd).