The town is the site of an important oil refinery and serves as a major export hub for Libyan oil, being one of five oil terminals in the eastern half of Libya. The oil refinery belongs to and is run by Sirte Oil Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). Sirte Oil Company is based in Brega. During the 1960s and 1970s, it was run in partnership with the international oil company Esso. By the early 80’s, Esso had left, passing full control over to the Sirte Oil Company.