TotalEnergies Restarts Libya’s Mabruk Oil Field After Decade-Long Halt
TotalEnergies has restarted production at Libya’s Mabruk oil field after more than a decade of inactivity, restoring output from an onshore asset that had been offline since 2015 following security disruptions.
The French energy major said the field, in which it holds a 37.5% stake, resumed operations on February 28 after the completion of a new production unit capable of processing up to 25,000 barrels per day. Construction on the facility began in May 2024, allowing the project to reach start-up in less than two years.
Located roughly 130 kilometers south of Sirte within concession C17, Mabruk is one of several upstream assets operated in Libya by international partners alongside the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC). The field’s restart marks the latest step in the gradual recovery of Libya’s oil sector, which has faced years of instability, intermittent shutdowns, and infrastructure damage since the country’s civil conflict intensified in the mid-2010s.
For TotalEnergies, the project reinforces a long-standing presence in Libya, where the company has operated since 1956. The restart also aligns with the company’s strategy to expand upstream production through relatively low-cost projects tied to existing infrastructure.
The company said the development supports its broader goal of increasing hydrocarbon production by around 3% annually through 2030. Management described the Mabruk restart as part of a series of recent moves in Libya, including the extension of the Waha concessions, which remain among the country’s most significant oil-producing assets.
TotalEnergies’ Libyan portfolio includes interests in the offshore Al Jurf field and several onshore developments, including El Sharara and the Waha concessions. The Waha assets are operated by Waha Oil Company, which is wholly owned by Libya’s National Oil Corporation and jointly held with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips.
In 2025, TotalEnergies reported average production in Libya of about 113,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day across its operated and non-operated assets. The addition of output from Mabruk could modestly increase that figure while contributing to the country’s broader efforts to stabilize and expand crude production.
Libya holds Africa’s largest proven oil reserves but has struggled to maintain consistent production levels due to political fragmentation and security risks. International operators have cautiously re-engaged in projects where infrastructure and operating conditions have improved, particularly in the Sirte Basin, one of the country’s most prolific hydrocarbon regions.
The restart of Mabruk highlights both the resilience of Libya’s upstream sector and the continued willingness of international oil companies to reinvest in the country despite lingering geopolitical risks.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
Middle East Conflict Halts 15% of TotalEnergies Oil and Gas Production
The war in the Middle East has effectively shut in 15% of TotalEnergies’ global oil and gas output, while the now-offline barrels account for about 10% of the supermajor’s upstream cash flow.
Following requests from shareholders and to answer the question about the status of TotalEnergies’ exposure to Middle East, the France-based international major said on Friday that “production has been shut down or is in the process of shutting down in Qatar, Iraq, and UAE offshore, representing approximately 15%” of the group’s total output.
Onshore production in the UAE, of which TotalEnergies has a share of 210,000 barrels per day, is not affected by the conflict.
The cash flow from operations from the Middle East barrels is lower than the company’s portfolio average due to higher taxation. The 15% of the shut-in volumes account for about 10% of Upstream cash flow, TotalEnergies added.
Operations at the Satorp refinery in Saudi Arabia are continuing normally for now and are supplying the Saudi domestic market, said the French firm, which is a partner of majority shareholder Saudi Aramco in the 460,000-bpd refinery in the industrial city of Jubail on the east coast.
TotalEnergies, a major global LNG trader, also says that the impact of LNG production shutdowns in Qatar on its LNG trading activities is limited, with around 2 Mt expected in 2026, as most Qatari LNG is marketed by QatarEnergy.
In the early hours of the war Qatar announced it is halting LNG production at Ras Laffan, the world’s biggest liquefaction complex and issued force majeure notices to customers, amid drone strikes from Iran and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz—the only way for Qatari and UAE cargoes of LNG to leave the Middle Eastern region.
TotalEnergies also noted that “a higher oil price more than offsets the loss of Middle East production,” as an $8 a barrel increase in the Brent price is enough to offset the expected 2026 CFFO from the Iraq, Qatar, and UAE offshore assets at $60 per barrel.
By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com
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