Eni, QatarEnergy win Libya offshore exploration licence

Libya

TRIPOLI, February 11, 2026 – Eni has secured a new offshore exploration licence in Libya as operator of a consortium with QatarEnergy, the company said on Monday.

The licence was awarded following the Libyan NOC’s 2025 open licensing round and covers 29,000 square kilometres in the offshore extension of the Sirte Oil & Gas Province. The consortium will hold a 100% stake through the exploration and development phases.

The area holds stranded oil and gas discoveries and unexplored zones without 3D-seismic coverage. The consortium plans to carry out seismic acquisition and drilling within the first five years.

The formal signing is expected to take place in Tripoli before the end of February.

Eni has operated in Libya since 1959 and is the country’s leading international energy player. In 2025, it produced around 162,000 boepd.

Beyond Eni and QatarEnergy, the 2025 round also saw Chevron secure acreage in the Sirte Basin, while Spain’s Repsol, Türkiye’s TPAO and Hungary’s MOL were awarded Offshore Area 07 and Nigeria’s Aiteo took the onshore Murzuq M1 block, according to the National Oil Corporation. The awards mark Libya’s first public oil and gas licensing round in 17 years and underscore renewed international interest in the country’s upstream sector.

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