Libya Seeks TotalEnergies Investment to Raise Oil, Gas Output

Libya is seeking fresh investment from TotalEnergies to raise oil production, expand energy infrastructure and make greater use of its natural gas resources as the country pushes to strengthen its energy sector.

Oil and Gas Minister Khalifa Abdel Sadig held talks with TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné on the sidelines of the ONS 2026 conference in Norway, where the two sides discussed the French energy company's plans for expanding its activities in Libya.

The discussions centred on higher oil production, infrastructure upgrades and new investment across Libya's energy industry.

Waha Expansion at Centre of Investment Talks

A key focus was TotalEnergies' Waha concessions, whose operating agreements have been extended to 2050.

The longer agreements give the company additional time to develop the concessions and increase output. Abdel Sadig and Pouyanné discussed plans for higher production as well as the infrastructure upgrades needed to support the expansion.

The two sides also reviewed activity at the Mabrouk oil field, including current production and plans for its next development phase.

Attracting international companies such as TotalEnergies is important for Libya, because raising output will require capital, technical expertise and upgrades to ageing energy infrastructure.

The government is also looking beyond crude oil as it seeks to extract more value from the country's gas resources.

Talks included measures to reduce gas flaring, which could allow Libya to capture gas currently being burned rather than put to productive use. Greater utilisation of the gas produced alongside oil could provide additional fuel for domestic consumption and other economic activities while reducing waste from oil operations.

Renewable energy investment was another part of the discussions, pointing to Libya's efforts to broaden its energy sector beyond conventional oil and gas production.

The meeting comes as Libya seeks greater participation from international energy companies in the development of its petroleum resources. The government sees foreign investment as a way to bring in the financing, technology and expertise needed to increase production and modernise infrastructure.

On its significance for TotalEnergies, deeper investment in Libya would provide an opportunity to expand its presence in a country with substantial oil and gas resources. For Libya, the immediate priority is turning longer-term partnerships into higher production, stronger infrastructure and greater use of resources that are currently underdeveloped or wasted.