Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Crude Oil and Natural Gas Liquids Country Notes

Libya/GSPLAJ

Proved recoverable reserves (crude oil and NGLs, million tonnes)	5 350
Production (crude oil and NGLs, million tonnes, 2005)	80.1
R/P ratio (years)	66.7
Year of first commercial production	1961

With proved oil reserves of 41 464 million barrels, Libya accounts for 32% of the total for Africa. The majority of the known oil reservoirs lie in the northern part of the country; there are a few offshore fields in western waters near the Tunisian border. The crudes produced are generally light (over 35o API) and very low in sulphur.

The level of proved reserves adopted for the present Survey is based upon data published by OPEC in its Annual Statistical Bulletin 2005, and is some 6% higher than the level quoted by OAPEC in its 2005 Annual Report and by BP and Oil & Gas Journal (although the latter publication quotes 41 464 for end-2006). World Oil gives a lower figure (34 050) for reserves of crude oil (excluding NGLs).

Libya joined OPEC in 1962 and is also a member of OAPEC. It exported about 77% of its oil output in 2005, almost all to Western Europe.