Explorers return to Libya despite fragile security
Peace means progress for Libya’s upstream, but disruption is never far away
Storm clouds are once again circling Libya’s energy sector amid renewed clashes between rival factions. It comes after a period of calm, with major energy companies having a tentative sense of confidence that may still be borne out. IOCs BP and Eni have lifted their decade-long force majeure on Libyan hydrocarbons development, clearing the way for major exploration projects. The two companies, along with Algerian state oil and gas producer Sonatrach, made the move on 3 August, according to Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC). NOC officials have been saying for months that security conditions have improved in Libya, with a ceasefire in its civil war agreed in 2020 largely holding. The conf
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions






