KEY POINTS
- Libya’s National Oil Corporation will drill its deepest offshore exploration well in early January in the Sirte Basin.
- Technical teams from NOC and international partners, including Eni and BP, have met in Tripoli to finalise operational plans for the 1,900-metre water-depth site.
- The project is being presented as a major milestone in Libya’s efforts to revive offshore exploration and attract new investment.
The National Oil Corporation, NOC, is preparing to open a new chapter in Libya’s offshore energy ambitions as it moves ahead with plans to drill the deepest exploration well ever attempted in the country.
The well, to be sunk in the submerged reaches of the Sirte Basin, is scheduled to be spudded in early January and is being presented by officials as a defining step in the effort to revive upstream prospects after years of halting investment.
The corporation confirmed the timeline following a technical meeting held at its headquarters in Tripoli, where senior staff from its Exploration and Drilling Departments met with representatives of Eni, BP, the Libyan Investment Authority, and several major international service companies.
The gathering, described as a preparatory session to tighten the operational roadmap, underscored the scale of the undertaking.
Technical teams push ahead with complex deep-water plans
The January operation is centred on offshore block 38/3, roughly 170 kilometres from the Libyan coast. The location sits in waters about 1,900 metres deep, placing it well beyond any previous drilling effort carried out in the country.
Engineers and contractors at the meeting reviewed possible operational scenarios, discussed the sequencing of execution phases, and assessed the readiness levels and technical capabilities required to handle the extreme depth.
Participants also weighed the safety parameters governing a drilling environment of this nature, with the NOC stressing that the entire programme is being aligned with the highest industry standards.
Officials noted that the decision to proceed reflects not only improving internal coordination but also the willingness of international partners to work on more challenging offshore prospects.
The corporation characterised the planned well as a pivotal milestone in Libya’s broader exploration strategy. Senior figures at the talks said the project could open the way for new investment avenues and support attempts to strengthen the country’s oil and gas sector, which remains central to national revenues despite ongoing political tensions.
The NOC is positioning the deep-water effort as part of a longer-term push to diversify upstream activity and draw fresh interest to Libya’s underexplored offshore zones.
