Al-Shalawi: Libya Is Approaching 1.5 Million Barrels per Day… A Positive Sign for the Nation and a Message of Confidence in the Future of the Oil Sector

Oil expert Monsef Al-Shalawi wrote an article:

The highest production level since 2013 confirms that recovery is possible, and that Libya’s ambitions are still capable of transforming challenges into achievements if stability and sound management continue.

Amid the political, security, and economic challenges surrounding Libya, the announcement by the National Oil Corporation (NOC) that total production has reached 1,487,723 barrels per day, including 1,438,560 barrels of crude oil and nearly 49,000 barrels of condensates, represents one of the most positive messages received by the Libyan economy in recent years.

This figure does not merely represent an increase in production; it carries deeper implications. Most importantly, it demonstrates that the Libyan oil sector still has the ability to recover and regain its position, and that the national expertise that has preserved this sector throughout years of crises remains capable of making a difference when provided with the appropriate conditions.

Reaching this level — the highest since 2013 — recalls a period when Libya was producing between 1.48 and 1.50 million barrels per day, before major export ports were shut down in the middle of that year. This event caused production to fall to levels ranging between 150,000 and 230,000 barrels per day, resulting in estimated losses of between $7 and $10 billion, in addition to technical damage affecting fields, ports, storage facilities, and infrastructure.

Since that moment, the road to recovery has not been easy.

The National Oil Corporation and its affiliated companies have gone through exceptional years of difficulties, including repeated shutdowns, institutional divisions, security challenges, global market fluctuations, funding shortages, and delays in implementing many development projects. Despite this, oil sector workers continued performing their national duty, maintaining production whenever conditions allowed and proving that Libyan oil remained one of the most important pillars of the national economy’s resilience.

It is fair to say that today’s achievement is the result of cumulative efforts involving the National Oil Corporation, its subsidiaries, partner companies, and all workers in oil fields, ports, pipelines, technical and engineering departments, and supporting services. Success in the oil sector is not created by a single entity; rather, it is the result of integrated collective work extending from production sites in the desert to export facilities along the coast.

However, at the same time, this achievement should not lead us to assume that reaching 1.5 million barrels per day has become guaranteed or permanent.

The oil sector is inherently highly sensitive and is affected by numerous factors, including security stability, unity of institutional decision-making, continued maintenance operations, availability of necessary budgets, speed of development projects, smooth supply chains, infrastructure readiness, continued cooperation with international partners, and the creation of a suitable investment environment to attract more capital and modern technologies.

Maintaining these production levels, and eventually moving toward higher levels, requires a comprehensive national vision that goes beyond simply increasing production. It must include developing reserves, accelerating exploration programs, maximizing gas production, reducing gas flaring, improving refinery efficiency, and increasing the added value of oil industries to achieve the greatest possible return for the Libyan economy.

The strategic goal of restoring Libya’s pre-2011 production levels — approximately 1.7 million barrels per day — remains a legitimate and achievable objective. However, it requires realistic planning, consistent implementation, and political and security stability, away from practices that could return the sector to cycles of shutdowns and disputes.

From an economic perspective, every additional barrel produced by Libya is not merely a figure in a production report. It represents increased public revenues, improved state capacity to finance essential services, support development projects, upgrade infrastructure, strengthen financial reserves, and create greater opportunities for investment and economic growth.

Oil will remain the main driver of the Libyan economy in the coming years. Therefore, maintaining the stability of this sector represents a shared national responsibility extending beyond the National Oil Corporation to include all state institutions, political forces, and society as a whole.

In my view, what has been achieved today deserves to be a source of pride for every Libyan and a message of hope that recovery is possible, and that national achievements remain attainable despite all circumstances.

It also represents well-deserved recognition for thousands of oil sector workers who operate under difficult conditions, in remote locations, carrying the responsibility of preserving Libya’s most important economic resource.

The hope remains that this achievement will mark a new step toward a more stable phase, and that work will continue with the same determination and professionalism until Libya achieves its production goals — not only in terms of numbers, but also by building a more efficient and sustainable oil sector that serves as a true foundation for national economic prosperity and the development that all Libyans aspire to.