Libya and EU form partnerships for sustainable energy transition
Libya and the EU have signed new partnership agreements to expand sustainability transition projects in the energy sector, according to the Libya Review on November 4th.
The European Union Mission to Libya announced that the deal had been formalised during a ceremony held in Tripoli as part of the EU-funded STEP Program – Sustainable Transition for Energy and Environment Partnership.
The project seeks to support Libya’s development of an integrated national framework that connects energy, climate, and water policy. STEP is co-financed by Germany and implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation.
The program will work towards Libya’s long-term environmental sustainability goal by enhancing governance and regulatory systems alongside technical capabilities.
The EU delegation explained that the program will support the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Renewable Energy Authority in creating a planned approach to resource management.
The delegation stated that “the European Union is proud, through the STEP initiative, to stand with Libya as it moves toward inclusive, citizen-focused development that protects natural resources and promotes stability.”
The deal was signed amid what Ibrahim Al-Arabi, Libya’s Environment Minister, labelled in August as a “catastrophic” environmental situation. He warned that Libya has experienced a “serious decline” in biodiversity over the past 30 years, predominantly due to government negligence and armed conflict.
Al-Arabi explained that coastal erosion, unregulated construction, and habitat loss have all combined to create an existential threat to natural ecosystems and species.
He also emphasised that the fighting since Libya’s 2011 overthrow of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi has caused a “clear deterioration in the environmental situation.” The conflict, he continued, has “seen assaults on the coastlines, expansion at the expense of vegetation cover, and even peaceful wildlife has been harmed by the war.”
Various sustainability projects have emerged in Libya to counteract the strain that years of political instability and fragmentation has placed on the environment. For example, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya announced in July the third phase launch of its “Million Trees” initiative.
Under the project, the NOC will plant trees in areas surrounding oil production zones to promote environmental sustainability, improve air quality via carbon dioxide absorption, and restore biodiversity.
Moreover, the GNU’s Ministry of Oil and Gas had already hosted the EU delegation and the UN Development Programme on September 24th as part of a strategic event that oversaw the launch of the “Just and Sustainable Energy Transition.”
Dr Khalifa Abdulsadiq, Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, commended the conference as a major milestone for the future of Libya’s energy sector. He celebrated the role it had in “bringing partners together to shape a balanced transition that ensures energy security, drives sustainable development, and advances the goal of zero gas flaring by 2030.”
Nicola Orlando, the EU Ambassador to Libya, stated that “we are impressed by Libya’s commitment to reduce the impact of its crucial hydrocarbon industry and work towards a diverse and greener economy.”
Libya Review, Maghrebi.org, UN Development Programme
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