Tripoli, Libya — As Libya reshapes its fiscal, regulatory and investment landscape to reestablish itself as a globally competitive hydrocarbons destination, the upcoming Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES) 2026 has confirmed the participation of five senior legal, advisory and energy sector leaders.
The speakers include Dr. Khaled Ben Othman, Chairman, Libyan Council for Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy (LCOGRE); Fatima Swehli, Managing Director, FS Legal Services; Khalil Gentara, Director of Business Development, Moore AR Tunisia; Gurkaran Singh, Partner-Strategy, Practice Development & Client Relations, Moore JFC Group Dubai; and Thomas Strouse, CEO, Strouse Energy Advisory.
Their participation comes at a pivotal moment for Libya’s energy industry. In 2025, the country launched its first international upstream licensing round in nearly two decades, offering 22 on- and offshore blocks (https://apo-opa.co/498D8br) as part of a strategy to lift national production capacity toward 2 million barrels per day by 2030. At the same time, the country’s parastatal National Oil Corporation introduced a modernized production sharing agreement model, replacing the legacy EPSA-IV framework and significantly improving investor economics through higher internal rates of return, faster cost recovery and a more competitive state take.
Private-sector participation will be represented by LCOGRE, led by Dr. Othman, which continues to advocate for greater SME inclusion, renewable energy integration and public-private collaboration. The council remains a strategic partner to LEES and is expanding initiatives to position Libyan companies at the forefront of upcoming energy projects.
Legal certainty and regulatory compliance will be a central theme at LEES 2026, with FS Legal Services bringing on-the-ground expertise across Libya, the UAE and the UK. Under Swehli’s leadership, the firm advises international and regional companies on oil and gas transactions, regulatory compliance, labor law and sanctions frameworks – capabilities that are increasingly critical following the adoption of unified drilling regulations in December 2025, which now govern exploration, development and decommissioning activities across Libya.
From a regional perspective, Moore AR Tunisia and Moore JFC Group will provide insights into cross-border structuring, governance, risk management and fiscal optimization, reflecting growing financial and commercial linkages between Libya, Tunisia and the Gulf. Completing the speaker lineup, Strouse Energy Advisory is set to offer upstream-focused market intelligence, with Strouse expected to address mature field optimization, marginal field optimization, marginal assets and geopolitical risk – key considerations for investors evaluating Libya’s evolving fiscal and regulatory landscape.
“This distinguished group of leaders’ expertise in legal, advisory and energy-sector strategy will no doubt provide invaluable insights as Libya positions itself for the next phase of hydrocarbon development. Their participation underscores the Summit’s role as a platform for fostering investment, regulatory clarity and cross-border collaboration in a rapidly evolving energy landscape,” states James Chester, CEO, Energy Capital & Power.
