Libya gas push highlights east–west energy divide
Libya is setting out plans to expand its natural gas output, signalling a push to play a larger role in supplying Europe as the continent searches for alternative sources of energy to Russian imports, as reported by the Libya Review on February 3rd.
Masoud Suleiman, chairman of Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), said the target is to raise gas production to almost one billion standard cubic feet per day.
He also revealed that Libya intends to begin shale gas exploration in the second half of the current year, marking a new phase in the country’s gas development strategy.
Libya’s oil reserves and revenue, like most of the country’s affairs, remain contested between rival administrations: the Government of National Unity in the west and the eastern-based administration controlled by Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
However, Libya’s vast oil fields, the largest proven oil reserves on the continent, are mostly controlled by Haftar’s forces. This situation has, in part, led to the establishment of Libya’s first private oil firm in 2023, which has been linked to Khalifa Haftar’s son, Saddam.
This company effectively allows Haftar to bypass the NOC headquartered in Tripoli, enabling the eastern-based administration to profit directly from oil sales without relying on Western Libyan companies and institutions to pass on revenues.
Around 90% of Libya’s natural gas production comes from the offshore Bahr Essalam fields northwest of Tripoli and the onshore Wafa field in the western Ghadames Basin, straddling Algeria, both of which are under the control of the western administration.
Speaking at the LNG 2026 conference in Qatar, Suleiman said the plans are designed to reinforce Libya’s position as a regional energy supplier while reducing its reliance on crude oil exports.
Libya possesses an estimated 80 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, encompassing both conventional and unconventional resources, according to figures cited by Suleiman and reported by Reuters.
At present, Libya exports only modest quantities of gas through the Greenstream pipeline, which connects western Libya to Italy beneath the Mediterranean Sea.
Limited investment and technical challenges have constrained the pipeline’s capacity in recent years, restricting the country’s ability to expand exports. In 2025, Libya’s gas exports to Europe declined by 30% year on year.
Suleiman also confirmed that the results of Libya’s latest energy licensing round will be announced on 11 February. The bidding process attracted interest from around 37 companies across Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
Officials hope that boosting gas production will strengthen state finances, support domestic electricity generation and establish Libya as a dependable gas supplier to European markets in the years ahead.
Libya Review, US Energy Information Administration (EIA), Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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