Reports: Libya denies cutting gas exports to Italy

Italy wants Libya to boost its gas exports to Europe in an effort to reduce the continent’s energy dependence on Russia.
A general view taken on January 6, 2015, shows the Mellitah Oil and Gas terminal on the outskirts of Zwara in western Libya.
A general view taken on January 6, 2015, shows the Mellitah Oil and Gas terminal on the outskirts of Zwara in western Libya. Mellitah Oil and Gas is a joint venture between Italy's ENI and Libya's National Oil Company and the Greenstream pipeline runs from Mellitah to Gela in Sicily. - MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

A controversy is brewing between Libya and Italy over gas exports. 

What happened: On July 5, The Libya Herald reported that Libya’s Tripoli-based government is considering cutting gas exports to the Italian energy company Eni by 25%. The gas would instead be used for local gas consumption. Like other countries across North Africa and the Middle East, Libya is suffering from electricity cuts, according to the English-language Libyan outlet. The news was heavily covered in Libyan and Italian media. 

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