Libya’s NOC defies politics with ambitious development plans

National Oil Corporation (NOC) has announced plans to open an office in Houston – its first outside Libya – as part of what it describes as an “ambitious $20bn spending programme to restore production capacity over the next three years”. Announcing the plans during a visit to the US, chairman Mustafa Sanalla said the decision was motivated by US support for “NOC’s integrity and the unity of the state of Libya”. He said it would “put America’s world-class equipment manufacturers and oil field service providers at the centre of our purchasing strategy and…