Tunisia struggles on
A fresh energy minister and new discovery offer glimmers of light
Tunisia is hoping resolution of a dispute that had seen UK-based gas services company Petrofac threaten to quit the country, combined with a modest oil discovery by Italy's Eni, will stabilise its hydrocarbons sector. If so, it will be welcome news in the country's sagging economy, and give a platform to its new energy minister. Petrofac, which supplies 13% of Tunisia's gas, threatened in September to pull out of its plant at Chergui, in the south of the country, where it holds a 55% stake in a venture with state oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d'Activités Pétrolières (Etap), after nine months of protests by unions and environmentalists. Protestors at the plant, on the island of Kerkennah,
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
