Italian energy giant Eni says it is resuming large-scale oil production in Libya, a half year after its operations were brought to a near standstill by the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi.

Eni, the largest foreign oil producer in Libya, said Monday that it is now drawing nearly 32,000 barrels of crude oil a day at a field about 300 kilometers south of the eastern city of Benghazi. Before the rebellion broke out, the company said it was producing 273,000 barrels daily, and hopes to soon reactivate other wells. Its French rival, Total, said last week it has reopened a smaller operation at an offshore well.

Resumption of oil production — and the revenue from exports of the commodity — could prove crucial for the National Transitional Council as it seeks to solidify its hold on the country.

Before the war, Libya’s global oil production was relatively small, about 1.6 million barrels a day, or 2 percent of the world total. But the light, sweet Libyan oil is valued on world markets because of its low sulfur content.