meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Uncertainty and instability damage Libyan oil sector optimism

24 February 2025

 

Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

Optimism among stakeholders in Libya’s oil and gas sector has evaporated in recent months as the approval of the country’s budget has been delayed and instability has undermined operations at state-owned oil and gas companies.

In early February, the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) called for all the conflicting parties in the North African country to start work immediately on agreeing on a unified state budget.

It said a transparent and equitable budget is crucial for strengthening fiscal responsibility, optimising resource allocation and ensuring economic stability in Libya.

Unified budget

A unified budget is also expected to enhance the ability of the Central Bank of Libya to implement effective monetary policies, stabilise the exchange rate and manage public spending sustainably.

Several meetings have been held to attempt to reach an approval on a unified budget for 2025, but little progress has been made by Libya’s rival political factions towards reaching an agreement.

In December, Stephanie Koury, acting UN special representative for Libya, said: “A unified budget is essential to establish clear spending limits and ensure transparent management of public resources.”

Libya’s oil and gas industry is one of the most important sectors, in terms of generating government revenues, that has been impacted by the budget delays.

One industry source said: “If a unified budget isn’t approved within the next 30 days, the consequences are going to be very serious.

“You can forget about all of the progress that has been made in the country’s oil and gas sector over the last two or three years – we are going to set right back to square one.”

Without a budget being approved, state-owned oil companies are struggling to push forward with their investment plans and the development of projects.

Licensing round

As well as ongoing delays to projects and approvals in Libya’s oil and gas sector, the country’s plans for its first oil and gas licensing round in 15 years are being delayed.

In January 2024, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced its plan to launch the round.

The bid round for exploration and production agreements was expected to offer exploration blocks in the Murzuq, Ghadames and Sirte basins.

As well as ongoing delays to projects and approvals in Libya’s oil and gas sector, the country’s plans for its first oil and gas licensing round in 15 years are being delayed.

Throughout much of 2024, there was significant optimism that the round would be launched without major delays and that it could support the country’s plans to boost oil and gas production.

In 2024, NOC announced a plan to execute 45 greenfield and brownfield projects to try to boost the country’s oil production from 1.25 million barrels a day (b/d) to 2 million b/d.

Libya is aiming to hit its 2 million b/d target within three years.

It was initially expected that the planned licensing round would be launched in late October or early November of 2024.

However, in October, delays started to be announced – and now stakeholders have significant doubts about whether the round will be launched before the end of 2025.

The budget delays and other ongoing disagreements between the country’s rival political factions are damaging the image of the country’s oil and gas sector and are likely to make international companies less interested in participating in the bidding round, if it is eventually launched.

One industry source said: “In the middle of last year, a lot of big international companies were showing interest, but now it is all negativity.

“People were talking about the licensing round and new projects, as well as expanding existing projects.

“Now, all of those discussions have evaporated.”

Sentiment is also being damaged by clashes in the country.

In 2024, there were several violent clashes between militias, including in Zawiya in July.

These were followed by further hostilities in the same region in December, which occurred next to the Zawiya refinery and caused a major fire at the facility.

Oil sector leadership

Instability in Libya’s oil and gas sector has been exacerbated by major changes in senior positions within the country’s publicly owned oil and gas companies and the oil ministry.

In June 2024, Libya's sidelined oil minister Mohamed Oun called on Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibeh to clarify who was in charge of the ministry.

Exactly who ran the oil ministry became unclear after Oun returned to work on 28 May 2024, following the lifting of a temporary suspension by a state watchdog.

During his absence, Oun was replaced by oil ministry undersecretary Khalifa Rajab Abdulsadek, who represented Libya at an Opec+ meeting on 2 June.

Oun complained that Dbeibeh refused to recognise him as oil minister after his return to work, and Oun then cut off all communication with him, making it impossible to carry out his duties.

Oun was ultimately officially replaced by Abdulsadek, who continues to run the ministry.

NOC has seen other major changes. The resignation of chairman Farhat Bengdara was accepted in January and he has been replaced by acting chairman Massoud Suleman.

NOC subsidiaries have also seen tumultuous changes in recent months.

In mid-February, the chairman of Libya’s state-owned Waha Oil Company, Fathi Ben-Zahia, was detained on several charges, sparking concerns about the future of oil and gas projects in the country.

Waha is one of the biggest and most active subsidiaries of NOC and is responsible for some of the country’s biggest active oil projects.

The charges against Ben-Zahia include a LD770m ($156m) contract fraud, according to a statement issued by the country’s Attorney General’s Office.

The statement said that preliminary research by the attorney general’s deputy public prosecutor had revealed that the Waha chairman had awarded a contract worth LD770m for sea defences at the Sidra oil port, when a lower bid of LD339m was submitted by another company competing for the contract.

Prior to the arrest of Ben-Zahia, Waha was seen as one of the best-performing state oil companies in the country.

In November last year, Waha Oil Company reported its highest crude production level in 11 years.

The company recorded a daily output of 350,549 barrels, contributing to Libya’s total daily production of 1.4 million barrels.

Private sector

While the country’s public sector oil companies have run into more problems in recent months, and struggled to deal with issues related to the delays to the unified budget, Libya's first private company to export oil has seen significant growth.

Arkenu Oil Company, which was set up in 2023 and is linked to the faction that controls eastern Libya, has exported oil worth at least $600m since May 2024, according to shipping records and UN experts.

According to experts, this means that some of the country's oil revenue is likely being channelled away from the central bank.

One industry source said: “The activities of Arkenu Oil Company are worrying because it shows that institutions like NOC and the central bank are losing their grip on the country’s oil and gas sector.”

Economic problems

Projects in Libya are also suffering from broader economic issues that could get a lot worse if there are further delays to the approval of a unified budget for 2025.

NOC is already suffering from major cash flow issues that will be exacerbated by further delays.

It is also likely that value of the Libyan dinar against the US dollar on the black market will be weakened, and more pressure will be put on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Further currency weakness is likely to make it harder to import materials and equipment for new projects, as well as making it more difficult to get spare parts for existing facilities.

One source said: “Right now, the dialogue about oil and gas projects in Libya is changing dramatically.

“Before, we were talking about which new projects were going to get developed and how quickly. Now, we are no longer talking about new projects and there are concerns that existing facilities will face major problems.”

The ongoing challenges in Libya, and the failure to deal with key issues, means that in the future the country could see declines in upstream production rates and refinery throughput, rather than the expansions that were previously expected.

READ MEED’s YEARBOOK 2025

MEED’s 16th highly prized flagship Yearbook publication is available to read, offering subscribers analysis on the outlook for the Mena region’s major markets.

Published on 31 December 2024 and distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the MEED Yearbook 2025 includes:

> GIGAPROJECTS INDEX: Gigaproject spending finds a level
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13419239/main.jpg
Wil Crisp

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Saudi Arabia tenders next phase of King Saud Air Base

    10 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence & Aviation has started the tendering process for the next phase of the King Saud Air Base in the kingdom.

    Contractors have been given until 20 October to submit their bids.

    The scope of works covers the construction of the headquarters building, administrative buildings, operations and maintenance area, police camp facilities, weapons and ammunition area, residential facilities, airfield facilities and other associated facilities.

    The project duration is three years.

    The air base spans an area of 383 square kilometres (sq km) in the Hafr Al-Batin area of the kingdom’s Eastern Region.

    Contracts worth about SR6.6bn ($1.8bn) for the project’s first phase were awarded early last year.

    The joint venture of local firms Isam Khairi Kabbani Group and Alfanar Projects was appointed as the main contractor for the first package, which was worth about SR2.9bn ($783m).

    The consortium comprising Riyadh-based Albawani, Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting and Kuwait’s Alghanim International won the second package, worth about $1bn.

    According to GlobalData, Saudi Arabia’s defence budget is projected to grow from $68bn in 2027 to $86.3bn by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19544241/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Sabic awards $3.47bn contract for ammonia and urea complex

    10 September 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients, an affiliate of chemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), has awarded the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for its seventh project in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City, which will significantly expand its ammonia and urea production capacity.

    South Korea’s Samsung E&A has won the contract for the project known as San VII, valued at $3.465bn, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in a filing with the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) on 10 September. It added that its board approved the final investment decision on the project on 9 September.

    The San VII project in Jubail Industrial City, in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, will have a production capacity of about 1.2 million metric tonnes a year (t/y) of conventional ammonia and 2.6 million metric t/y of urea. The complex will also feature a post-combustion carbon capture unit.

    Sabic had earlier announced receiving approval for feedstock allocation from the Saudi Ministry of Energy in March for the project, which will expand Sabic Agri-Nutrients’ urea production capacity by 54%, from approximately 4.8 million metric t/y to 7.4 million metric t/y.

    The San VII project replaces a previously planned low-carbon or blue ammonia project with a conventional ammonia and urea facility. The project, which was previously known as San VI, was slated to produce 1.2 million metric t/y of low-carbon ammonia and 1.1 million metric t/y of urea and specialised agri-nutrients.

    Before being restructured into its current form, MEED reported in March last year that Samsung E&A was the frontrunner to win the main EPC contract for the project.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients expects construction on the San VII project to begin in Q4 2026, with commissioning scheduled to start in Q3 2030. The commissioning period will last four months, ahead of the start of commercial production and completion of the project in Q4 2030.

    The San VII project “is also expected to represent a significant step toward enhancing the company’s competitiveness and sustainability through the integration of advanced carbon capture technologies and the reduction of emissions intensity across its operations. This will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of its products, supporting the company’s sustainability and carbon neutrality ambitions”, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in its Tadawul filing.

    “The project is considered one of the key pillars of the company’s 2040 strategy, which aims to strengthen the kingdom’s position in the agricultural nutrients export market and contribute to global food security, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030,” it added.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients

    Formerly Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco), Sabic Agri-Nutrients was the first petrochemicals company to be established in Saudi Arabia in 1965.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients, in which Sabic owns the majority 50.1% share, is one of the leading global fertiliser producers, with a portfolio that includes urea, ammonia, phosphate and other specialised products.

    For the second quarter of 2026, the company reported a sharp decline in profitability, primarily driven by a drop in revenue and lower sales volumes compared with both the previous quarter and the same period last year.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients saw its net profit fall by 64.25% to $101m, compared with $282.66m in the second quarter of last year, and by 69.11% on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

    The company’s Q2 revenues were down by 26.65% year-on-year at $643m, and by 16.11% quarter-on-quarter. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) in Q2 stood at $165m, a drop of 51% year-on-year and 55% quarter-on-quarter.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients further said its profitability suffered from a 31% quarterly decline in agri-nutrient sales volumes, recorded at 960,000 metric tonnes. Although global supply chain disruptions triggered a 27% price increase for agri-nutrients during the second quarter, the short-lived macro-driven bump was not enough to fully offset the slide in sales volumes.

    In December 2022, Saudi Aramco and Sabic Agri-Nutrients delivered the world’s first commercial-grade blue ammonia cargo to South Korea. Locally based Lotte Fine Chemicals received the shipment of 25,000 metric tonnes of independently certified blue ammonia in the southern city of Ulsan.

    Following that milestone, the company struck several deals in 2023 with customers worldwide to supply low-carbon ammonia and urea.

    In April 2023, Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped the first independently certified low-carbon ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan, where it is being used as fuel for power generation. The ammonia cargo was produced with feedstock from Saudi Aramco, sold by Aramco Trading Company to Fuji Oil Company and transported by Mitsui OSK Lines.

    After that, Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped 5,000 metric tonnes of low-carbon ammonia in May 2023 to a customer in India, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative.

    The company then shipped 5,000 metric tonnes of low-carbon ammonia to Taiwan Fertiliser Company in June 2023.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients’ latest shipment is believed to have been in July 2023, when it shipped a 2,700-tonne cargo of low-carbon urea to Ravensdown, a New Zealand farmer-owned agricultural co-operative company.

    Separately, Sabic Agri-Nutrients announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maaden Integrated Fertiliser Company (MIFC) on 18 August to explore potential collaboration opportunities.

    The non-binding MoU, which is valid for three years, “aims to establish a general framework for cooperation between the two parties in developing and investing in opportunities within the integrated value chain of agri-nutrients, including the production and manufacturing of value-added products”, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in a Tadawul disclosure.

    MIFC is a limited liability company wholly owned by Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden). MIFC serves as the holding entity for all subsidiaries within Maaden’s phosphate business vertical.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19539503/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Contractor wins Riyadh airport sewage plant deal

    10 September 2026

     

    The local Safari Company has been selected to build a sewage treatment plant at the King Salman International airport (KSIA) development in Riyadh.

    The contract for the facility is yet to be formally signed with King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), a source close to the project told MEED.

    The facility will have a treatment capacity of 92,000 cubic metres a day and is estimated to be worth SR700m ($187m).

    In July, MEED reported that Safari was one of seven contractors awaiting a decision on a contract to build the sewage treatment plant.

    It is understood that bids were submitted in March, following the tender’s release earlier this year.

    The plant will treat wastewater generated by the airport and surrounding developments, including passenger terminals, runways, residential districts, commercial facilities and logistics areas.

    The bidders (all local) are:

    • Al-Rawaf Trading & Contracting
    • Almajal Alarabi
    • Nesma Water & Energy
    • Safari Company
    • Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanic Works
    • Washnah Contracting
    • Water & Environment Technologies (Wetico)

    The project scope includes the construction of the treatment plant, the installation of preliminary, secondary and tertiary treatment systems, sewage collection and conveyance pipelines, pumping stations, and electrical and control systems.

    US-headquartered Jacobs is acting as the main project consultant. Commercial operations for the plant are scheduled for 2029.

    The sewage treatment plant is one of several water infrastructure packages planned for the airport. KSIADC is also evaluating bids for a separate $30m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering potable water and fire water tanks and an associated pumping station. The same seven companies submitted bids for that package.

    Earlier in July, MEED exclusively reported that a joint venture of Beijing-headquartered China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Dammam-based Mofarreh AlHarbi & Partners had won a deal to undertake the enabling and substructure works for Terminal 6 at KSIA.

    That same month, MEED exclusively reported that contract details were being finalised for the main construction contract for the expansion of Hail airport. It is understood that Safari Company was appointed as the contractor for this project.

    The terminal expansion works include the south expansion, which encompasses the construction of a new building covering 5,600 square metres. This building will connect to the existing terminal from the southern side.

    The expansion will increase the airport’s capacity to about 1.7 million passengers a year by 2030.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19539284/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Azizi to announce $8bn Sharjah residential community

    10 September 2026

    Dubai-based real estate developer Azizi Developments is preparing to launch Azizi Florence, a AED30bn ($8bn) masterplanned community in Sharjah.

    Named Azizi Florence, the project will mark the developer’s first venture in the emirate of Sharjah.

    The community will include 1,130 villas, over 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments.

    Planned as a fully integrated destination, Azizi Florence will combine residential, retail, hospitality, education, leisure, and wellness components, anchored by a 1.7 million-square-foot central park.

    The development will be organised into six residential clusters, each featuring its own park, clubhouse, community centre and landscaped gardens.

    Azizi Florence is another major addition to the developer’s UAE portfolio. 

    In April last year, Azizi announced plans to develop the Azizi Milan community in Dubai’s City of Arabia area.

    According to media reports, the project will be developed at an estimated cost of AED75bn ($20bn) and will offer over 81,200 residential units.

    The developer said the project will cover an area of about 40 million square feet, making it one of the largest mixed-use communities in the UAE.

    In 2023, Azizi launched the Azizi Venice project in the Dubai South area. The estimated AED30bn ($8.17bn) mixed-use development will offer more than 30,000 residential units, including 100 mid-rise apartment complexes and 400 villas, two five-star hotels and an opera house.

    The development will also include schools, a hospital, cycling and jogging tracks, a 3-kilometre-long swimmable lagoon, water features and landscaped parks.

    Dubai real estate developments dominate the UAE’s construction market, with schemes worth over $323bn in the execution or planning stages.

    This is in line with a forecast by GlobalData, which projects that the output of the UAE construction sector will grow by 4.2% in real terms in 2025, supported by developments in infrastructure, energy and utilities and residential construction projects.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19535526/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows

    10 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s power market has seen a sharp fall in contract awards in 2026 following a major wave of renewable energy investment last year.

    According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, about $3.38bn of power sector contracts were awarded in the kingdom as of early September, compared with $27.5bn in 2025, $54.2bn in 2024 and $26.1bn in 2023.

    The relatively low level of contract awards this year has partly been influenced by a shift towards wider infrastructure such as battery energy storage systems (bess) and transmission projects, alongside delays in the procurement of renewable energy projects under the National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) Round 7.

    In September, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) awarded four Group 1 storage service agreements representing more than SR4.35bn ($1.16bn) of investment. The projects will provide a combined 2,000MW of capacity and 8,000MWh of storage.

    Three bess projects, Al-Muwyah, Haden and Al-Kahafa, were awarded to a consortium of Saudi Energy, Acwa and Al-Sharif Contracting & Commercial Development Company. Another consortium of France’s Engie and Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co won the contract for the remaining Al-Khushaybi bess project.

    Transmission awards

    The battery storage projects are part of a broader shift towards the infrastructure needed to support Saudi Arabia’s expanding power system, with transmission accounting for most of the contracts awarded this year, reaching $3.35bn in new awards.

    The largest is the estimated $500m contract awarded to Alfanar Projects in March for the 500kV overhead transmission line linking Saudi Arabia’s Eastern and Central operating areas. The 508-kilometre project will have a transmission capacity of 3,000MW.

    Saudi Energy, formerly Saudi Electricity Company, is implementing a $58.7bn grid investment programme through 2030, including 130 high-voltage substations, about 12,900km of overhead transmission lines and 1,100km of underground cables.

    Saudi Energy is the largest owner by value so far this year, accounting for about $1.9bn of contract awards, while SPPC has awarded more than $1.1bn in new contracts.

    The focus on storage and transmission follows strong growth in renewable generation investment in 2025. Wind power contract awards reached $4.4bn, while 11 major solar contracts were also awarded.

    In May 2025, developers signed $8.3bn of power purchase agreements with SPPC for five solar plants and two wind farms with a combined capacity of 15,000MW, somewhat inflating last year’s figures. The projects, backed by the Public Investment Fund, reached financial close in November.

    Renewables projects

    The next major phase of renewable procurement is now moving through the tender process. The seventh round of NREP, tendered in January, will add 5,300MW through four solar and two wind projects.

    Based on the procurement timeline for the Round 6 projects, which were tendered and awarded in 2026, it was reasonable to expect Round 7 to follow a similar schedule.

    However, according to one developer, rising supply costs have been a factor in recent deadline extensions for these projects, with those involved “waiting till these come down”.

    With the latest bid submission deadlines set for September, the timing of the procurement process means contracts from NREP Round 7 may now fall into 2027 rather than materially lifting this year’s total.

    The solar projects comprise the 1,400MW Tabarjal 2, 600MW Mawqqaq, 600MW Tathleeth and 500MW South Al-Ula independent power projects (IPPs). The round also includes the 1,300MW Bilgah and 900MW Shagra wind IPPs.

    This helps explain why Saudi Arabia’s power sector contracting could remain relatively subdued in 2026 despite a substantial volume of projects progressing through procurement.

    Project pipeline

    According to MEED Projects, about $5.1bn of power projects are currently under bid evaluation and a further $7.3bn are at the main contract tender stage.

    Solar projects make up the largest share, at about $5.1bn, or 41% of the total. There continues to be relatively strong diversification, with cable and overhead-line projects accounting for about $3bn, followed by wind at $2.2bn, oil and gas-fired power at $1.1bn and substations at about $1bn.

    Renewable energy remains a particularly significant part of the development programme. Saudi Arabia raised its renewable energy target to 130GW by 2030 in 2023 and needs to add roughly 20GW of capacity a year to meet it.

    Large-scale storage is also expected to continue expanding. The latest SPPC projects build on five bess facilities awarded by Saudi Energy through National Grid Saudi Arabia to Alfanar in 2025. The facilities have a combined capacity of up to 2,500MW, equivalent to about 10,000MWh.

    SPPC has also issued the request for proposals for the second phase of its independent bess programme in Saudi Arabia. The Group 2 programme comprises six independent storage provider projects with a total capacity of 3GW, equivalent to 12,000MWh based on a four-hour storage duration. Developers are due to submit bids in October. 

    The timing means the Group 2 projects could contribute to contracting activity in 2027, alongside this next batch of renewable projects under NREP Round 7.

    Nuclear power could provide another potential source of activity over the next 12 months. The US and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in July, providing the legal foundation for a long-term, multibillion-dollar nuclear partnership.

    While the agreement is unlikely to translate immediately into major contract values, further progress on Saudi Arabia’s nuclear programme could add another area of activity in the sector as the kingdom moves into 2027.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19535830/main.gif
    Mark Dowdall