Energy: Libya
One worker was killed and four were injured on Wednesday 11 November 2026 when a fire and explosion hit a gas plant in Marsa Brega, a Libyan oil port on the Mediterranean coast, according to the National Oil Corporation (NOC), the state oil company. The NOC said gas and crude oil production were not affected.
For US readers, the key point is supply: Libya is a member of the OPEC oil exporters’ group, and the NOC says its domestic gas deliveries and crude output continue. The plant is run by Sirte Oil Company, an NOC subsidiary, and repairs are expected to take at least two weeks.
Key Facts
- Who. Libya’s state oil company, the NOC, reports one worker killed and four injured.
- Where. Gas plant of Sirte Oil Company, an NOC subsidiary, at Marsa Brega on Libya’s coast.
- Cause. The NOC chairman says preliminary information points to a leak in a gas line feeding a boiler.
- Supply. The NOC says gas deliveries to the domestic market and crude oil production are unaffected.
- As of. 11 November 2026, 23:30 GMT
Libya’s state oil company says a fire and explosion, with a gas leak suspected, killed one worker at a coastal plant, and that oil and gas supply was not disrupted.
What the NOC Says Happened
The NOC said the fire broke out on Wednesday at the gas complex of Sirte Oil Company in Marsa Brega, killing one worker and injuring four. Firefighters contained the blaze and isolated the gas lines, and the entire plant was shut down as a precaution.
NOC chairman Massoud Soleman said on Facebook that preliminary information indicated a leak in a gas line supplying one of the plant’s boilers. He told journalists that repairs are expected to take at least two weeks.
Soleman also blamed delays in budget allocations and payments, which he said postpone essential maintenance, and warned of even greater disasters in the future.
What the Parliament Committee Says
The energy committee of Libya’s House of Representatives, the country’s parliament, demanded an urgent technical investigation on Wednesday. It said an explosion in a fuel gas pipeline feeding the steam boilers killed an employee of Arab nationality and injured four company staff.
The committee asked investigators to check safety standards and the effectiveness of maintenance and protection systems at the complex. It also asked that anyone found responsible be held to account.
What It Means for Supply
The NOC stressed that operations are continuing normally and that gas supplies to the domestic market and crude oil production were not affected. Libya restarted its Brega oil refinery, also on the coast, in October after about nine years offline, as we reported, which keeps attention on the Brega site.
What Is Not Known
The cause of the leak is still preliminary, and the name of the dead worker and the condition of the four injured staff have not been made public. We have not seen a date for the plant to restart beyond the NOC chairman’s estimate of at least two weeks.
What It Means for You
Oil and gas buyers can treat this as a contained industrial accident unless the NOC reports an export delay. The chairman’s warning about deferred maintenance is a sign to watch for further outages at Libyan facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Marsa Brega gas plant?
A fire and explosion on Wednesday at Sirte Oil Company’s gas complex killed one worker and injured four. The NOC chairman said preliminary information pointed to a leak in a gas line feeding a boiler.
Is Libya’s oil or gas supply affected?
The NOC says no: domestic gas deliveries and crude oil production were not affected. The plant was shut down as a precaution, and repairs are expected to take at least two weeks.
Sources: Libya National Oil Corporation, statements of 11 November 2026 (via its chairman, Massoud Soleman); House of Representatives energy committee, statement of 11 November 2026. Related: Libya restarts Brega oil refinery.
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