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11 November 2026, London (The Energy Circle by IN-VR) - Egypt has called on Libya to accelerate a series of joint energy projects, from cross-border gas pipelines and the refining of Libyan crude in Egyptian facilities to the long-planned expansion of the electricity interconnection between the two countries. The appeal came during a visit to Tripoli by Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday 7 November, which also marked the reopening of Egypt's embassy in the Libyan capital for the first time since 2012.
During the visit, Abdelatty held talks with Presidential Council President Mohamed Al-Menfi and with Libya's Acting Minister of Oil and Gas, Khalifa Al-Sadiq. Alongside the energy agenda, the minister restated Cairo's position on maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, following the Libyan House of Representatives' ratification last month of the 2019 maritime memorandum between Libya and Turkey.
An energy agenda moving towards implementation
The energy discussions took place at the new premises of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli. Abdelatty urged faster progress on projects to build and connect gas pipelines between the two countries and to widen cooperation in petroleum products. He also called for the swift completion of arrangements to refine Libyan crude in Egypt for re-export, the rehabilitation of Libyan refineries, and the completion of electricity interconnection projects as soon as possible.
Speaking at the embassy's opening ceremony, Abdelatty said the aim was now to move into the technical implementation phase. He described a gas pipeline linking Libya and Egypt as a promising project, pointing to Egypt's position as the only country in the Eastern Mediterranean with the facilities needed to liquefy natural gas.
Al-Sadiq expressed appreciation for Egypt's technical cooperation and reviewed existing work in oil, gas and electricity. He confirmed Libya's commitment to continuing joint projects and said he would travel to Cairo soon to pursue technical discussions with Egypt's ministers of petroleum and electricity.
Building on a year of bilateral energy diplomacy
The Tripoli talks build on a framework that has been taking shape throughout 2026. In January, on the sidelines of the Libya Energy and Economic Summit in Tripoli, the two countries signed a cooperation agreement covering oil and gas exploration and production, crude refining and refinery upgrades, potential projects to transport crude oil and natural gas between them, petrochemicals, training and mineral exploration. Egypt's petroleum ministry described the deal as the start of a new phase in bilateral energy ties.
At the end of July, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Libya's Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah met in New Alamein and agreed to expand cooperation in natural gas, oil exploration, refining and electricity interconnection, with fertiliser production also on the table. Madbouly called for a clear timetable to implement joint projects, particularly in gas development and exploration, while Dbeibah reaffirmed Libya's commitment to deeper cooperation across the energy value chain.
Refining and a proposed Tobruk-Alexandria pipeline
Refining has become one of the most concrete strands of the partnership. Following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which halted crude supplies from Kuwait, Egypt has sought to import at least one million barrels of Libyan oil per month, according to Bloomberg. Industry experts quoted in the Egyptian press note that Libyan crude is close in quality to Egypt's own Western Desert production, allowing refineries in the Alexandria area to process it efficiently.
In August, reports emerged that the two governments were nearing agreement on an 800-kilometre crude pipeline linking Tobruk in eastern Libya with Alexandria, at an estimated preliminary cost of more than $1 billion. Discussions have focused on financing, implementation, throughput and final capacity, which would need to match both Libya's export volumes and Egypt's refining capacity. The concept is not new: the two countries first agreed to develop a pipeline from Tobruk to the Sidi Kerir oil hub west of Alexandria in 1997, but the project was never built.
For Libya, which produces around 1.48 million barrels per day of crude and condensates, an overland route to Egyptian refineries would offer an additional outlet for rising output and a potential source of refined products for its domestic market. For Egypt, it would provide a nearby and secure source of feedstock for its Mediterranean refining system. Abdelatty's call to rehabilitate Libyan refineries points to a complementary goal of strengthening Libya's own downstream capacity.
Scaling up the electricity interconnection
Power is the third pillar of the relationship. The existing interconnection between the two grids has historically carried around 150 MW, and the two sides resumed talks in January on raising capacity to 2 GW to help address electricity shortages in eastern Libya. The link proved its value in July, when Egypt restored supply to Libya through the interconnection lines as Libyan technical teams worked to rebuild the network after a major outage.
The planned upgrade centres on a new 165-kilometre, 500 kV line between Saloum in Egypt and Tobruk, with a cost estimated by the African Union's PIDA programme at around $300 million. The line forms part of the wider Egypt-Libya-Tunisia-Algeria-Morocco interconnection concept, which aims to link North African power markets into a single regional system.
Maritime boundaries and the Turkey memorandum
The energy talks unfolded against the backdrop of renewed debate over maritime jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean. On 20 October, the Libyan House of Representatives unanimously approved the memorandum signed in November 2019 between Turkey and Libya's then Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, reversing its earlier opposition. The ratification was welcomed by several Libyan institutions, including the Government of National Unity and the High Council of State, as well as by Ankara. Egypt rejected it the following day, arguing that the agreement infringes on its maritime rights and has no legal effect on Cairo. Greece, the European Union and the United States also voiced objections.
In his meeting with Al-Menfi, Abdelatty stressed that Egypt's maritime concerns should be taken into account when delimiting boundaries between the two countries, in line with international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. At the same time, both sides emphasised the strength of the bilateral relationship. The House of Representatives reaffirmed the strategic importance of ties with Egypt in late October, and its Speaker has said the memorandum forms part of Libya's sovereign rights and does not harm the interests of other countries.
Reconstruction and the wider partnership
On the political track, Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's support for an inclusive, Libyan-owned and Libyan-led settlement, the unification of state institutions and simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections. He highlighted the role of Egyptian companies and workers in Libya's reconstruction, which includes infrastructure and road projects, and stressed the importance of convening the next session of the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee. Al-Menfi welcomed recent progress in relations and said Libya was keen to draw on Egyptian expertise to develop its capabilities and advance reconstruction and development.
The minister also met members of the Egyptian community in Libya to discuss consular services, delayed dues for Egyptian medical staff working in Libyan hospitals, and difficulties facing students at the Egyptian schools in Tripoli and Benghazi.
Outlook
The reopening of Egypt's embassy in Tripoli, combined with Al-Sadiq's planned visit to Cairo, suggests that the energy relationship is entering a more operational phase. Libya holds substantial hydrocarbon reserves and is working to raise gas output to one billion cubic feet per day, while Egypt offers refining capacity, LNG infrastructure and an expanding regional power grid. If financing and technical terms can be agreed, the pipeline, refining and interconnection projects discussed in Tripoli could give Libya new routes to market for its oil and gas and strengthen its position within an increasingly integrated North African and Mediterranean energy system.
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