Libya Protests Escalate, Threaten Oil and Gas Exports from Mellitah Complex
Anti-government protests in Libya over power outages and high electricity bills escalated on Tuesday, with protesters entering the Mellitah Oil and Gas complex and threatening to cut off gas and fuel supplies to both domestic and international markets. The protests, centered in Tripoli, target the Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Demonstrators blocked streets and roads earlier this week to protest frequent power cuts and high electricity rates. The unrest has spread to the Mellitah Gas processing plant, where protesters aim to halt natural gas exports to Italy via pipeline to increase economic pressure on the government. As of Tuesday morning, it was unclear if any supply had been halted. A further escalation would be a major blow to Libya's hydrocarbon revival, which had recently shown progress with the Essar oil discovery declared commercially viable by NOC and OMV. Global oil and gas markets, already reeling from Middle East supply disruptions, would also be affected.