Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Energy Affairs, Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba discussed, during the council’s first meeting on Tuesday, several issues related to the oil and electricity sectors, the Libyan government reported.
The meeting discussed, in its terms, files belonging to several oil companies, in addition to the proposal for the extraordinary budget of the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL), which the Council decided to postpone its consideration to future meetings.
It was also agreed to hold meetings to address the files related to the energy sector, and to provide solutions for them.
The Supreme Council for Energy Affairs was reorganized by Cabinet Resolution No. 790 of 2022, and includes in its membership the Prime Minister, the Central Bank of Libya Governor, the head of the Audit Bureau, the Ministers of Oil, Planning, Finance and Economy, and the heads of the National Oil Corporation (NOC), GECOL and the Renewable Energy Agency.
Among the most prominent tasks of the Council, is the supervision of sovereign issues related to energy activities, and the preparation of the state’s strategy in the various energy fields.
A critique of the Council
The Council is seen by critics as the politicisation of the Libyan energy sector away from its technocratic role. The Council is deemed to have taken power away from the National Oil Corporation, specifically under the leadership of outgoing chairman, Mustafa Sanalla.
However, its defenders say the different Libyan energy sectors were operating in silos without an overarching, strategic national policy.
