Design work completed for $1bn Libyan pipeline

29 October 2025

 

Front-end engineering and design (feed) work has been completed for the major oil pipeline that will extend from oil fields in the south of Libya to the oil export terminal of Es Sider, according to industry sources.

Libya’s Waha Oil Company, a subsidiary of state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), is developing the pipeline.

The 700-kilometre pipeline will have a diameter of 32 inches and the capacity to transport 1 million barrels a day (b/d) of oil.

One source said: “It is crucial that the existing pipeline is replaced. The existing pipeline is suffering frequent leaks and cannot handle higher pressures.

“In 1960, when the pipeline was installed, the pipe thickness was 36mm, but it is now so worn out that this has been reduced to around 8mm across much of the pipeline. In some spots, it is even less than 8mm.

“Production cannot be increased at the oil field due to this ageing facility.”

Waha is preparing to eventually tender an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project, which is estimated to have a value of between $1bn and $1.25bn.

Although the pipeline’s actual usage is unlikely to exceed 300,000 b/d for some time after its completion, it is being designed to be ready for a significant increase in oil production from Libya’s southern oil fields.

It is unclear when Waha plans to issue an invitation to bid for the project’s EPC contract.

In 2012, Waha announced a project to replace key oil pipelines in Libya, but funding issues delayed the timeline and invitations to bid were never issued.

In January 2024, MEED reported that Waha was considering plans to boost its production by 1 million b/d.

At the time, the subsidiary was producing about 300,000 b/d.

Earlier this month, NOC announced that the country’s crude oil production had reached 1,383,430 barrels a day (b/d).

The company said that natural gas production was 2,519 million cubic feet a day (cf/d), while condensate production was 49,013 b/d.

NOC said it aimed to further increase production capacity to approximately 1.6 million cf/d by 2026.

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Wil Crisp
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