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After more than ten years of political uncertainty and unrest, during which upstream activity has stagnated, Italian major Eni and National Oil Corporation (NOC) have agreed Libya’s biggest hydrocarbons investment commitment since Eni’s original investment in the Western Libya Gas Project (WLGP) in the early 2000s.

Algerian utility Sonelgaz is promoting plans to export more power to its neighbours in North Africa and across the Mediterranean to Europe.

A realignment of global alliances is ever more apparent as the first anniversary of Russia’s attempted conquest of Ukraine approaches and global power and wealth seem to concentrate in ever fewer hands. This has been seen in the solidarity among members of the Opec+ oil exporters’ alliance, in which long western-aligned Saudi Arabia and President Vladimir Putin’s Russia remain the driving forces.

Driven by a political imperative to fix the more than decade-long electric power crisis, General Electric Company of Libya (Gecol) has pushed through a massive round of maintenance at eight of its gas-fired power plants to prepare them for expected increases in demand during the winter.

Fuel smuggling is allegedly being carried out in the port of Benghazi in broad daylight, even as petrol stations in the city and elsewhere across the country run dry, showing how Libya’s hugely expensive fuel subsidy regime is malfunctioning. A recent auditor’s report has set out the costs of the wasteful system and pointed to billions of dollars of oil revenue that remain unaccounted for. John Hamilton investigates.

An Egyptian-led East Mediterranean gas hub hangs in the balance as the partners in Israel’s offshore Leviathan and Tamar gas fields weigh up their commercial options in the face of Cairo’s ambitions to dominate the market. It is the latest in a series of manoeuvres as eastern Mediterranean states – including Libya and Turkey – manoeuvre for position.

The Libyan and Turkish governments have defended their latest memorandum of understanding (MoU) on hydrocarbons exploitation in maritime areas that they claim, but several neighbours dispute. The result is a bad-tempered stand-off, even before details have been announced, let alone exploration areas named or awarded.

Recently dismissed National Oil Corporation chairman Mustafa Sanalla claims his successor Farhat Bengdara is planning a deal with UAE-based Al-Ghurair Group over the Ras Lanuf oil refinery that could end up costing NOC up to $600m/yr. For a decade, Al-Ghurair subsidiary Trasta Energy and NOC have been in a relentless dispute over the Libyan Emirati Refining Company (Lerco) joint venture – and the refinery hasn’t operated since 2013.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dabaiba may just have won another round in the unedifying slugfest for control over Libya’s government and resources. It seemed like a mistake when Dabaiba replaced National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Mustafa Sanalla with former Qadhafi-era Central Bank of Libya governor Farhat Ben Gdara in late July, but the move seems to have bought the PM more time.

By replacing Mustafa Sanalla as NOC chairman with Qadhafi-era central bank governor Farhat Bengdara, Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba has bought himself time and granted a major concession to his chief opponent, Khalifa Haftar. This potentially opens the door to some kind of compromise – but how a critical institution that has maintained operational independence and kept Libyan oil flowing throughout 12 years of conflict survives the change is another question.

New Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Farhat Omer Bengdara was one of the youngest officials to hold a key role in the administration of the late-Muammar Qadhafi’s Jamahiriya (State of the Masses) system. He was appointed deputy governor of Central Bank of Libya (CBL) in 2004 and governor in March 2006.

A reckless attempt by Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba to spend his way into an unchallengeable position of authority has brought Libya to the brink of ruin. More than a decade after the revolution that toppled Colonel Muammar Qadhafi’s Jamahiriya system, both money and viable political options have all but run out, leaving an exhausted, impoverished and furious population confronting a crisis of existential proportions during an unbearable early summer heatwave.

Nigeria and Angola are responsible for the vast majority of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) supply shortfall that is helping to sustain high global oil prices. Above-ground issues including theft and sabotage continue to contribute to a large deficit from the two sub-Saharan oil giants.

A month after demonstrators closed down parts of Libya’s oil production and export infrastructure, halving oil output in a protest against Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Al-Dabaiba’s refusal to hand over power, political and economic pressure is building at every point in the system. It remains unclear whether a deliberate financial squeeze will succeed in driving Dabaiba from office, or whether compromises can be found to get oil flowing again.

The first units of the three gas-fired power plants under construction in Tripoli, Misrata and Tobruk will shortly be commissioned, according to statements from General Electric Company of Libya (Gecol).