British energy companies are deepening their commercial engagement in Libya, as the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2026 prepares to host a UK-Libya Roundtable in Tripoli later this month.
The roundtable, convened by the Libyan British Business Council (LBBC) and the UK Embassy in Libya, comes amid renewed British investment across Libya’s energy, exploration and infrastructure sectors, following years of limited activity.
LEES 2026, scheduled for January 24–26 in Tripoli, will also feature a dedicated UK national pavilion, offering British firms exposure across upstream, midstream, services and infrastructure development segments.
British major bp is undertaking its most significant expansion in Libya since 2007. Working alongside Italy’s Eni, the company is preparing to drill Libya’s first deepwater exploration well offshore in the Sirte Basin, targeting a gas prospect in waters around 1,900 metres deep. bp is also advancing plans for onshore exploration in the Ghadames Basin in 2026, after qualifying for Libya’s first international licensing round in nearly two decades.
The projects align with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) target to raise crude output to two million barrels per day by 2030.
Shell has also re-entered the Libyan market and is moving into technical evaluation stages in early 2026. The company is assessing redevelopment options at the Al-Atshan field near the Algerian border and reviewing additional NOC assets that require modernization to support production.
The renewed activity follows a series of agreements signed in 2025, when bp and Shell reached memoranda of understanding with the NOC to evaluate large-scale field redevelopment, exploration opportunities and infrastructure upgrades. Both companies also confirmed plans to reopen permanent offices in Tripoli.
Bilateral trade between the UK and Libya reached £2.5 billion in 2025, reflecting growing commercial confidence as regulatory and institutional frameworks stabilise.
Organisers say LEES 2026 will serve as a platform to consolidate investment momentum, strengthen long-term partnerships and support Libya’s broader energy-led economic recovery.
