Digital projects to raise oil production efficiency
LIBYA – An economic report by the South African English-language website Energy Capital & Power has examined Libya’s efforts to develop a digital strategy for its oilfields based on artificial intelligence, automation and advanced communications infrastructure, as part of efforts to raise crude output to 2 million barrels a day.
New Energy Tech initiative and local talent
The report — followed and summarised by Al-Marsad — said implementation of the strategy accelerated in 2026 after the Ministry of Oil and Gas in the Dbeibah government launched the “New Energy Tech” initiative, which links the sector’s operational challenges with Libyan engineers, artificial intelligence experts, software developers, robotics teams and researchers.
It added that the initiative also aims to work with start-ups able to develop and test local technical solutions, going beyond buying ready-made equipment and software to designing solutions suited to operating conditions in Libya that improve efficiency, cut operating costs and emissions, and support decision-making.
The report noted the participation of university students, academics, experienced engineers, programmers and artificial intelligence specialists, creating a channel of communication between the local technical community and the energy sector.
Transmitting well and equipment data and remote monitoring
The report said automated systems allow production data and equipment status to be transmitted from remote wells to operations centres, enabling operators to analyse performance and respond to changes without relying entirely on field visits.
More than 80 sites linked at speeds of up to 400 gigabytes
The report referred to a project launched late last year to connect more than 80 oil ports and fields through communication services with speeds of up to 100 gigabytes per second, which can be raised to 400 gigabytes per second, using fifth-generation (5G) technology.
It said this infrastructure supports agreements aimed at developing what it described as “smart oil cities”, at a time when digitalisation is becoming more important as exploration, redevelopment and upstream investment expand and operations grow more complex with the entry of new projects and companies.
Automated drilling and a full view of oil assets
The report said linking data systems, automated drilling and remote monitoring gives a fuller view of oil and gas assets spread across different parts of the country.
