How much longer can Libya's NOC defy political gravity?
Output has soared and the state firm is targeting another 30% increase by year-end. Politics remains the big obstacle
National Oil Corporation (NOC) deserves the plaudits. Libya's oil production, hovering around 1m barrels a day in July and August, is about four times greater than a year ago. Mustafa Sanallah, the company's chairman, wants yet more, hoping to lift output to 1.3m b/d by end-2017. Civil war, political chaos and the ever-present risk of disruptions remain headwinds. As if to remind everyone of the delicate balance achieved by NOC in recent months, on 6 August gunmen stormed the control room at Zawiya, a port in northwest Libya that is the terminus for a pipeline from Sharara, Libya's largest producing oilfield. The disruption, the result of rivalry between militias at the port, looked like it
Also in this section
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
