Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced that BP and Shell have signed deals to study hydrocarbon exploration and development across three Libyan oilfields.
Armed group conflicts over oil revenue have repeatedly disrupted Libya’s oil operations, causing frequent field shutdowns in the OPEC member state, which is Africa’s second-largest oil producer.
Since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has faced prolonged instability, discouraging foreign investment.
Despite this, major oil firms including Eni, OMV, BP, and Repsol—resumed exploration activities in Libya last year after a decade-long halt.
NOC revealed that BP plans to reopen its Tripoli office in the last quarter of 2025.
As part of their renewed collaboration, BP and NOC signed a memorandum of understanding to assess hydrocarbon prospects in the Messla and Sarir fields, along with surrounding exploration zones.
BP will also evaluate Libya’s unconventional oil and gas resources, which require advanced extraction techniques like fracking to tap hydrocarbons trapped in porous rock formations.
The British energy giant had initially returned to Libya in 2007 under an exploration and production sharing agreement with NOC, covering both onshore and offshore areas, but later suspended the agreement under force majeure conditions.
In 2022, Eni acquired a 42.5% stake and became the operator of the agreement, while BP retained an equal share and the Libyan Investment Authority held the remaining 15%. The lifting of force majeure in 2023 allowed onshore exploration to resume.
Separately, NOC confirmed it signed an agreement with Shell to carry out a full technical and economic feasibility study for developing the Atshan oilfield and other wholly owned NOC fields.
source: www.zawya.com
African Energy Council