Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held talks with officials from Libya’s western government over the weekend, focusing on energy and migration. During the visit, the two countries signed a gas deal worth $8 billion, the largest investment in Libya’s energy sector in more than 20 years.
The deal involves the development of two offshore fields in Block NC-41 and is expected to begin pumping gas in 2026, reaching 750 million cubic feet per day. Meloni called the deal “significant and historic” and said it would help secure energy sources for Europe.
However, the deal is likely to deepen the rift between the rival Libyan governments in the east and west and has already exposed factions within the government. Italy has been seeking new supplies of natural gas to replace Russia amid Moscow’s conflict with Ukraine, and Italy has reduced its imports of Russian gas by two-thirds.
During the visit, Italy also agreed to provide five fully equipped patrol boats to Libya’s coast guard to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe. The move has been criticized by an activist group that helps distressed migrants
