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North African Energy Corridor Comes into Focus as Libya, Egypt Scale Gas Production
Libya’s National Oil Corporation has launched the first phase of the Farigh-Brega gas pipeline. Gas pumping operations are already underway, with flow from Field 103A expected to be directed into the Sirte system and then the coastal network by the end of March 2026. The milestone aligns with a national drive to strengthen production capacity, showcasing how North Africa’s energy corridor is regaining momentum at a time when global gas markets are being reshaped by shipping disruption and supply-security concerns.
Ahead of the African Energy Week (AEW) Conference and Exhibition - taking place October 12-16 in Cape Town - the region is increasingly being framed as Africa’s stability play. Defined by existing infrastructure, proximity to Europe and scalable gas monetization, North Africa contrasts the frontier upside of West and Southern Africa, offering investors and European buyers diversified and increasingly secure supply alternatives.
Libya: Rebuilding a Mediterranean Gas Hub
Libya’s new pipeline adds a practical new layer to its broader resurgence story. With goals to scale production in the coming years, the country is entering a decisive energy era, one marked by an exploration resurgence, strengthened export capacity and domestic supplies. Just this month, Eni announced two new offshore gas discoveries, estimated at over one trillion cubic feet (tcf). The discoveries at Bahr Essalam South 2 and 3 offer near-term production potential given their proximity to existing infrastructure. Alongside these finds, Eni is advancing seven projects in Libya, including the Bouri Gas Utilization Project - scheduled for Q3, 2026 with a capacity of 120 MMscf/d - and the Structures A&E development - scheduled for 2027.
Beyond projects, Libya has re-entered international licensing, with blocks awarded to Chevron, Eni, QatarEnergy, Repsol, Aiteo and a consortium comprising Turkey’s TPOC and Hungary’s MOL. This latest bid round was the first in nearly two decades, signaling the country’s broader upstream drive. These moves come as Libya strives to increase gas production to one billion cubic feet per day with a view to boost exports to Europe in the next five years, leveraging existing infrastructure such as the Greenstream pipeline - connecting Libya to Italy. Taken together, these milestones show that Libya is rebuilding the physical and commercial architecture needed to compete as a Mediterranean gas hub.
Egypt: Scaling an Eastern Mediterranean Export Market
Egypt is adopting a similar upstream approach, with a focus on leveraging regional trade and existing liquefaction infrastructure to counteract natural production decline and strengthen Mediterranean exports. In the downstream sector, the country signed an agreement with Eni to double crude production and advance a pipeline connecting Cyprus’ Cronos gas to Egyptian infrastructure. The tie-in not only strengthens feedstock but cements Egypt’s status as a Mediterranean LNG hub.
On the exploration front, the country plans to drill 101 wells in 2026 - 67 in the Western Desert, nine in the Gulf of Suez, 14 in the Mediterranean and six in the Nile Delta - to rebuild reserves. Eni is also optimizing the Zohr field through infill drilling and reservoir management to unlock one tcf of additional gas, while Rashpetco has committed to doubling gas production by FY 2029/2030. These efforts coincide with Egypt’s drive to strengthen regional ties. This year alone, the country forged partnerships with Syria, Lebanon, Libya and Djibouti, aimed at supporting energy trade across the Mediterranean market and further abroad. The combination of upstream development, cross-border collaboration and production growth is what makes Egypt such as critical anchor in the North African corridor.
“North Africa is proving that energy security is built on infrastructure, not just reserves. Libya’s pipeline revival and Egypt’s LNG expansion show how the continent can move from potential to delivery - creating a corridor that offers reliability to global markets while still capturing value at home,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.
For investors heading to AEW 2026, that is the real North African proposition. While Libya offers pipeline leverage and reopened upstream access, Egypt offers scale, infrastructure and hub economics. Together, they position North Africa as Africa’s stability play: less speculative than the frontier basins farther south and west, but no less strategic in a gas market that increasingly rewards speed, connectivity and reliability.