US Website: Reveals Libya’s Fuel Crisis And Its Continuation Despite Increased Production – Here Are The Details

The American website “Aeroporter” revealed in a report today, Saturday, that the scenes witnessed in Libya during the Eid al-Adha holiday were highly impactful, as long queues formed in front of fuel stations, and drivers waited for hours to obtain gasoline, while emergency meetings were held to address growing public concern.

The website said that for many Libyans, the crisis seemed familiar. Fuel shortages have become a recurring feature of daily life despite the country’s status as one of Africa’s most important oil producers, which makes the recent fuel shortage particularly notable during a period of booming oil production and rising export revenues.

According to the National Oil Corporation, gasoline deliveries ranged between 9 and 11 million liters per day during the Eid al-Adha period. Libya produces oil, exports it, and generates billions of dollars in revenues; however, access to fuel remains difficult.

This explanation highlights a challenge that goes far beyond Libya’s borders.

The website pointed out that oil production does not necessarily guarantee fuel security, as Libya has abundant crude oil reserves but lacks sufficient refining capacity to convert enough crude into gasoline and diesel required by consumers and industry. As a result, the country suffers from a structural dependence on imported petroleum products. Regardless of the amount of oil produced, Libya still needs large quantities of refined fuel from abroad to meet domestic demand.

The financial implications are significant.

The website said Libya generated approximately 4 billion dollars in oil revenues during May, while in the same period around 1 billion dollars was spent on imported fuel. Thus, a quarter of oil revenues was used to purchase products that Libya could not produce in sufficient quantities.

It added that the challenge does not end there, as fuel must be distributed from ports and storage facilities to service stations across the country. Delays, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies in this network can quickly lead to fuel shortages even when imports remain relatively strong.

Fuel shortage in Libya – what happens when this production is disrupted:

The website explained that the European Union has a direct interest in Libya’s stability and economic strength, as Libya lies on Europe’s southern doorstep and is an important partner in the Mediterranean energy sector, with resources that can significantly contribute to regional prosperity.

According to the website, Libya’s repeated fuel shortages do not serve the interests of its citizens nor its European partners. Therefore, the lesson from the crisis goes beyond queues at petrol stations; it is about identifying policies that have delivered tangible results and those that have not.

The website also noted that the oil swap program was not merely a temporary arrangement, but one of the few mechanisms that successfully addressed Libya’s structural fuel shortages and ensured the delivery of refined products to the domestic market in required quantities. The worsening shortages observed since its cancellation suggest that its contribution to Libya’s fuel security was far greater than many observers previously acknowledged.

It further stated that as Libya considers how to address recurring fuel shortages, policymakers should focus on practical outcomes rather than political considerations. The priority should be ensuring the regular and large-scale availability of fuel to consumers, businesses, and industrial sectors. The queues witnessed during Eid al-Adha were a reminder that oil production and fuel delivery are entirely different matters, and also a reminder that effective solutions should not be abandoned simply because they are imperfect. In Libya’s case, one such solution helped ensure continuous fuel flow for years, and its absence has become increasingly evident, according to the website.