LIBYA · OIL AND GAS
Key Facts
- What Orlen, a Polish oil and gas group, will drill its third exploration well in Libya in November 2026.
- Where The Murzuq Basin, a desert oil region in south-western Libya, inside Orlen’s Licence 113.
- Who said it Libya’s National Oil Corporation, after its annual technical meeting with Orlen on Monday 2 November.
- Licence size About 5,500 square km (2,100 square miles), held under a 2008 agreement with the state.
- Still open The well’s name, location, depth and cost have not been published.
Orlen, a Polish energy group, will drill its third well in Libya this month, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The test well, called an exploration well will be sunk in the Murzuq Basin to find out whether oil or gas lies underground.
The announcement followed the yearly technical meeting between the NOC and Orlen in Tripoli on Monday 2 November. For US readers it matters because Libya has Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, so each test well hints at future world supply.
What Orlen Plans in Libya
The NOC, Libya’s state oil company, said Orlen is preparing the well for November as part of its technical commitments. The company is working in Libya again after lifting a pause on its activities in April 2024.
The two sides met on Monday 2 November at the NOC’s Tripoli headquarters, with officials of the Oil Research Centre, a state technical body. They reviewed progress on exploration and appraisal work, the studies already completed and the exploration programme still to be carried out.
They also went through the proposed work programme and budget for 2027. The NOC did not publish the budget figure, so the cost of the November well is not public.
The Murzuq Basin and Licence 113
Orlen works in Libya through ORLEN Upstream North Africa, a subsidiary based in Amsterdam with a branch in the Janzour district of Tripoli. In 2008 it signed a production sharing agreement with the NOC for Licence 113, an area of about 5,500 square km (2,100 square miles).
Under that agreement Orlen must acquire 1,500 square km of 3D seismic data and 3,000 km (about 1,860 miles) of 2D seismic lines. It must also drill eight wildcat wells, which are tests in areas where no oil or gas has yet been found.
Orlen announced two hydrocarbon discoveries inside the licence, in 2013 and 2014, which it says confirmed the area’s exploration potential. The Murzuq and Sirte basins together hold about 95% of Libya’s recoverable oil, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Libya’s National Oil Corporation is the state oil company, based in Tripoli, and it signs and supervises every foreign exploration deal. Orlen is a Polish oil and gas group, and its Libyan arm holds the licence in the Murzuq Basin.
A production sharing agreement means the company pays for exploration and, if it finds oil or gas, shares the output with the state. A wildcat well is a high-risk test hole in a new area, where results are often disappointing.
What It Means for You
Libya is an OPEC member with about 48 billion barrels of proven crude, roughly 3% of the world total, says the US Energy Information Administration. New discoveries in a country of that size can influence long-term supply and the oil price Americans pay at the pump.
The news is also a small sign that European energy firms are returning to Libyan exploration after years of conflict and shutdowns. Any single well is a gamble, and a US sanctions warning over Libya this week shows its politics remain tense.
What Is Not Known
Neither the NOC nor Orlen has published the name, exact location or planned depth of the third well. The start date within November, the budget and the expected result are also unknown.
It is not stated how much oil or gas Orlen hopes to find, or whether a discovery would be developed quickly. Security in the south-west delayed the company’s work before and remains a risk to the schedule; see our guide to who runs Libya’s economy.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Orlen drilling in Libya?
Orlen plans its third exploration well in the Murzuq Basin in November 2026, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said. It is a test well to see whether oil or gas is present.
Who is Orlen?
Orlen is a Polish oil and gas group that operates in Libya through ORLEN Upstream North Africa. It has held Licence 113 in the Murzuq Basin since a 2008 agreement.
Does the well mean Libya will pump more oil soon?
No, an exploration well only tests the ground and any find would need appraisal and development first. That normally takes years, so the effect on supply would come later.
Is there a risk the drilling is delayed?
Yes, because security problems in the area forced Orlen to pause its Libyan work before. The company resumed activities in April 2024.
Sources: Libya’s National Oil Corporation, statement on the annual technical meeting with Orlen, 3 November 2026; ORLEN Upstream North Africa, company profile and Licence 113, accessed 5 November 2026; US Energy Information Administration, Libya country analysis, 2024 edition.
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