Libya is considering offering oil block contracts directly to China, India and other nations it sees as friends in its month-long conflict with rebels, Libya’s top oil official said on Saturday.
Oil companies have pulled out staff and shut operations in the country, formerly Africa’s third-largest producer, due to the uprising against Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, leading to a sharp reduction in output.
National Oil Corporation chief Shukri Ghanem, speaking about future projects, said Libya was considering awarding contracts directly to new partners instead of using its more traditional open bidding process.
“We will be looking at giving direct block contracts to countries ready to come and work in the country, because we want to raise production,” he said.
He said Libya would look into the possibility of working closer with partners such as India, China, Brazil and others in the future but gave no details.
Mr Ghanem said, however, that the government would honour all existing contracts with Western firms and called on foreign workers to return to help restore output.