Libya energy crisis leaves parts of oil-rich country struggling

Long power cuts and severe fuel shortages have disrupted daily life in Libya, a country already plagued by an enduring political deadlock, conflict, and corruption, and home to Africa's largest oil reserves.

As the summer heat peaks, the worst crisis in years has tightened its grip on many Libyans who struggle to stay cool and keep their houses, cars and businesses running.

Experts and United Nations officials say the root of the problem lies in corruption, weak governance and years of inadequate maintenance at power plants.

Libya holds about 48 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and produces roughly 1.5 million barrels a day. It is seeking to raise output to 2 million barrels a day.

But the country only produces a third of the fuel it needs for domestic consumption. Last year, it imported $7.8 billion worth of fuel, according to figures from the National Oil Corporation.

For ordinary Libyans, the crisis has meant spoilt food and stalled businesses amid unbearable heat.

'Poor governance'

Libya has been politically divided for more than a decade, after being plunged into war during the 2011 overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Two administrations are currently vying for power: a UN-recognised government in Tripoli and its rival in Benghazi, backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar.

"Libya produces less than its energy needs during peak periods, and the electricity crisis and fuel shortage are complex, since the country is an oil producer but relies on importing fuel," international relations researcher Bechir Jouini told AFP.

But the issue is also compounded by "the problem of smuggling oil out of the country as well as the failure to implement maintenance programmes for power plants", Jouini said.

He also blamed mismanagement and corruption in the budgets allocated to the energy sector.

"Libya has resources and funds, but it suffers from poor governance and corruption is rampant... despite the allocation of huge budgets to the electricity company," he said.

Hanna Tetteh, the UN envoy to Libya, has also linked the energy crisis to broader failures in the country's institutions.

"The recent widespread electricity outages and public discontent, exacerbated by a prolonged heatwave, have exposed the consequences of institutional fragmentation, large-scale diversion of public resources, underinvestment and uncoordinated decision-making, all of which are essentially failures of governance," the envoy recently told the UN Security Council.

"The contradiction is that this is occurring in a country that does not lack energy resources and has the largest petroleum deposits on the African continent," Tetteh said.

Earlier this month, a key reservoir containing about 4.5 million litres of petrol was targeted by several drone attacks in Zawiya, some 45 kilometres (27 miles) west of Tripoli.

Zawiya has for years been the scene of armed conflict between rival groups who fight over the territory, which is a hotspot for fuel, drugs and migrants trafficking.