Türkiye’s TPAO among firms awarded oil, gas exploration blocks in Libya | Daily Sabah
by Daily Sabah with Agencies
Feb 11, 2026 2:39 pm
Libya awarded oil and gas exploration blocks to foreign firms on Wednesday, including a subsidiary of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), in its first licensing round in nearly two decades.
The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the winners of its first bidding round since 2007 as it seeks to revitalize the sector.
A consortium comprising Turkish Oil Petroleum Company (TOPC), an international arm of Türkiye’s state-owned TPAO, and Spain’s Repsol won an exploration license for Liby’s C3 basin, the NOC said.
A separate consortium including TOPC, Repsol and Hungary’s MOL offered the leading bid for the Offshore Area 07.
U.S. major Chevron secured an exploration license in Libya’s Sirte S4 Basin.
Oil and Gas Minister Khalifa Abdulsadek said last month that Türkiye could play a “key role” in offshore energy development in Libya.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah (front 4th R) and Oil and Gas Minister Khalifa Abdulsadek (front 6th R) attend Libya’s first bidding round for oil exploration in more than 17 years, Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 11, 2026. (AA Photo)
After his talks in Tripoli last month, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said 2026 would be a “landmark year” in Türkiye-Libya cooperation. “It will be the energy year,” he said.
Libya is one of Africa’s biggest oil producers and a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Foreign investors have been wary of putting money into Libya, which plunged into chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
It remains divided between the U.N.-recognized government in the west and its eastern rival, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Disputes between them over oil revenues have often led to oilfield shutdowns and output disruptions.
KEYWORDS
energy
energy sector
hydrocarbon
natural gas
oil
libya
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