Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has reported strong production from a newly drilled well at the Al-Khair oilfield in the Sirte Basin, adding fresh momentum to the country’s drive to double crude output and reassert itself as one of Africa’s foremost energy producers.
The new well is producing 3,209 barrels of crude oil per day alongside approximately 1.95 million cubic feet of associated gas daily. Drilling, carried out by NOC subsidiary Sirte Oil Company, reached a planned depth of 9,050 feet with a reservoir thickness of 174 feet. The NOC described the results as encouraging, noting that the well flows naturally with no artificial lift system required, with excellent crude quality and a complete absence of associated water during testing — all indicators of favourable reservoir conditions.
The Al-Khair field has been in production since 2021, when it began at an initial rate of 6,000 barrels per day, and the new well forms part of the NOC’s broader strategy to develop existing assets that generate the bulk of Libya’s state revenues. While the output from a single well is modest by global standards, it reflects a wider recovery underway across Libya’s energy sector, one that has been battered by more than a decade of political instability, armed conflict, and repeated production disruptions.
Libya holds the largest proven crude oil reserves on the continent, estimated at more than 48 billion barrels, yet much of that potential has remained underdeveloped since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi and triggered years of political fragmentation. The NOC has now set a target of raising production to 2 million barrels per day through new exploration projects, field rehabilitation programmes, and fresh infrastructure investment — roughly double recent levels.
That effort is already showing measurable results. Libya’s crude output climbed to approximately 1.43 million barrels per day earlier this year, its highest level in more than a decade, according to NOC Chairman Masoud Suleiman, marking a significant turnaround for an industry long plagued by political disputes, pipeline blockades, and operational setbacks. The improving outlook has drawn renewed interest from major international energy companies: in February, Libya launched its first oil and gas licensing round since 2007, awarding exploration acreage to firms including Chevron, Eni, QatarEnergy, Repsol, and Nigeria’s Aiteo.
Libya sits within OPEC and has historically been granted exemptions from the group’s production quotas due to conflict-related disruptions, giving it room to ramp up output without triggering immediate friction within the bloc. The country remains divided between rival administrations in the east and west, and the NOC provided no specific timeline or detailed investment figures for reaching the 2 million barrel target. Still, the combination of record recent output, a licensing round attracting marquee international names, and continued drilling at fields like Al-Khair suggests Libya’s energy sector is in its most constructive phase since before the 2011 conflict — a trajectory that, if sustained, would represent a substantial addition to the continent’s export capacity.
Source: businessfront.com | energynews.pro