Italy's Eni signs $8 billion Libya gas deal as PM Meloni visits Tripoli

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the head of Libya's Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attend a joint news conference in Tripoli, Libya January 28, 2023. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed

ROME/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Italian energy company Eni and Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed an $8 billion gas production deal on Saturday aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe despite the insecurity and political chaos in the North African country.

The deal, signed during a visit to Tripoli by Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aims to increase gas output for the Libyan domestic market as well as exports, through the development of two offshore gas fields.