Libya's seesawing oil production
The head of the country's National Oil Corporation is succeeding in pushing output higher against the odds, only for its ubiquitous militias to push it back down again
The latest force pressing down on Libya's crude production comes from a familiar source: militias holding oil facilities to ransom. On 23 February, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), a state-funded militia, forcibly closed the southwestern El Feel field, a joint venture between NOC and Italy's Eni. NOC said the guards rioted, firing in the air and threatening staff who fled the site. As a result, El Feel's 70,000 barrels a day of production ceased. NOC declared force majeure on supplies from the field. NOC chairman and chief executive Mustafa Sanalla has previously complained about militias trying to control oil facilities. In February, Sanalla told Petroleum Economist that "all Libyans d
Also in this section
23 June 2025
A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have reverberations that would sound around the world
20 June 2025
The scale of energy demand growth by 2030 and beyond asks huge questions of gas supply especially in the US
20 June 2025
The Emirati company is ramping up its overseas expansion programme, taking it into new geographic areas that challenge long-held assumptions about Gulf NOCs
19 June 2025
Geopolitical uncertainty casts a pall over expectations around demand, supply, investment and spare capacity
