For the first time since the overthrow of longstanding leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya on Wednesday awarded oil exploration and production licenses to a number of international energy firms, including the behemoths Chevron and BP.
Following the NATO-backed uprising that overthrew and murdered Gaddafi in 2011, the North African nation’s oil industry has encountered major difficulties, and its territory is still split between competing rulers.
However, Libya is trying to attract big international energy corporations because its energy output and exports have been at their highest level since then.
Nigeria’s Aiteo, Africa’s biggest privately-owned energy company, was among the winners of the most recent bidding round on Wednesday, in addition to Chevron.
The other successful bidders were consortiums: Repsol with BP from Spain, Eni North Africa with QatarEnergy, and Repsol with Turkiye Petrolleri and MOLGroup from Hungary.
However, of the 20 blocks available for exploration and extraction, only five attracted offers.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) stated that there would be another round of bidding later this year, but it did not disclose the cost of the licenses.
