Speaking at the session, Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas Dr. Khalifa Abdulsadek underscored Italy’s central role in the country’s energy sector and encouraged further Italian engagement across the value chain.

“Italy is a big part of our oil and gas industry,” Minister Abdulsadek said. “I would like to encourage everyone here to do business with Italy and to take advantage of this opportunity to engage them. At the same time, Libya wants to focus more on the area of power generation, where Italian expertise can play a very important role.”

The roundtable brought together Italian industrial groups, service providers and infrastructure specialists active in Libya’s energy, industrial and service sectors, including ANIMA Confindustria, Valvitalia, CVB Valves, Deepblue Energy Services, SA Fire Protection, EUROSCAF, IMESA Laundry Solutions and Eli-Fly. All are currently active in, or seeking to expand, operations linked to Libya’s upstream revival and large-scale infrastructure program.

Italy’s Ambassador to Libya Gianluca Alberini said energy remains a cornerstone of bilateral relations, describing Libya as one of Italy’s most important partners in the Mediterranean.

“Libya is a main energy trading partner with Italy, and oil is fundamental to our energy strategy,” Ambassador Alberini said. “This gives us many opportunities to build on the remarkable relationship we have with our trans-Mediterranean neighbor, not only in hydrocarbons but increasingly in infrastructure, services and power generation.”

The Ambassador highlighted practical steps being taken to support closer commercial ties, including streamlined visa issuance for Libyan partners traveling to Italy and improved connectivity through direct flights between Libya and Italy.

Italy’s dominant position in Libya’s energy sector is anchored by Eni, the country’s largest foreign producer and partner of Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) for more than six decades. Through Mellitah Oil & Gas, its 50-50 joint venture with the NOC, Eni operates key offshore assets including Bahr Essalam and Bouri, as well as the Greenstream pipeline supply gas directly to Italy.

Major projects scheduled for completion or advancement in 2026 include the $8 billion Structures A&E development, targeting up to 750 million cubic feet per day of gas, and the Bouri Gas Utilization Project, where Saipem is executing a $1 billion contract to reduce flaring and boost export capacity. Saipem is also pre-qualified for major EPCC works and continues to support exploration through its Scarabeo-9 drilling rig.

The Italy-Libya Roundtable formed part of LEES 2026, held in Tripoli from January 24-26, which featured a dedicated focus on Italy-Libya cooperation as Libya advances an estimated multi-billion-dollar investment pipeline across upstream, gas utilization, infrastructure rehabilitation and power generation.

As Libya prepares to conclude its first upstream licensing round in nearly 20 years and accelerate spending through the NOC’s development program, officials said Italy’s combination of operating experience, engineering capacity and proximity positions it as a natural partner for the next phase of Libya’s energy and power sector growth.

“Libya is open for business – and Italy is, and will remain, one of our most important partners as we build the next chapter of our energy future,” Minister Abdulsadek concluded.