Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Libya to sign mega gas deal
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, January 23, 2023 in Algiers.
AP - Fateh Guidoum
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Italy, like other European countries keen to replace their Russian gas imports, will sign a contract for gas exploration off Libya.
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It was Farhat Ghadara, head of the Libyan national hydrocarbon company (NOC), who announced it: an agreement will be signed today in Tripoli, in the presence of Meloni, with the Italian oil giant ENI.
The contract is the largest in the hydrocarbon sector for 25 years.
The head of the Italian government will be accompanied by her Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Interior.
Under the terms of the agreement, ENI could invest up to 8 billion dollars in two gas fields in the Mediterranean, and produce the equivalent of 850 million m3 of gas per day for 25 years.
Last week, Giorgia Meloni had already signed another gas import contract with Algiers.
Libya currently produces 1.5 billion m3 per day and hopes to rapidly increase its production to four billion.
Foreign companies active in the sector are called upon by the Libyan authorities to resume their exploration and production operations.
In addition to the energy dossier, Giorgia Meloni will also have to discuss illegal immigration in Tripoli.
In 2022, 50% of migrants in Italy left the Libyan coast, despite the agreement with Tripoli which plans to intercept migrants at sea and repatriate them to Libya.
Finally, the question of the Libyan elections should be mentioned.
The return of political and social stability in Libya is a priority for Rome, not only to increase its investments but also to better control immigration.
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