By Sami Zaptia.
London, 27 June 2020:
Brega Marketing Company, the wholly owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) subsidiary concerned with the import and distribution of cooking gas, fuels and oils, has contracted with Al-Enmaa Company for Oil and Gas for the supply of five mobile domestic gas filling plants.
The plants will be for five areas outside Tripoli, including Zintan, Ghat, Ghadames and Jalu. They are expected to arrive in a about 4 months with a capacity of 240 cylinders per hour.
The supply of basic supplies and services, such as cooking gas, are a highly sensitive topic in post-Qaddafi Libya. The various interim governments since the overthrow of the dictator in 2011 have struggled to gain domestic legitimacy and impose their will on the country – especially outside Tripoli. Many areas gauge the legitimacy of the Tripoli government by its ability to supply cooking gas, fuel, electricity, water, etc.
Moreover, the move to install regional sources of supply of cooking gas is part of an overall policy to decentralize post-Qaddafi Libya – with an acceptance that central government is inefficient and unable to efficiently supply basic needs. There have often been regional disturbances and armed blockades of oil, water electricity etc based on purported local grievances – such as the lack of supply of cooking gas.
It will also be recalled, and as reported by Libya Herald, that in December 2019, Brega and Al-Enmaa Company for Oil and Gas signed a draft agreement to urgently establish five cooking gas refilling stations within Tripoli.
The project was to make it easier for consumers to refill their gas cylinders beyond the two main Brega Tripoli refilling stations which have been unable to meet demand and at times of crisis and shortages have led to a black-market in domestic gas cylinders.
Al-Enmaa had said that the agreement is part of its expansion plan and reported that many possible joint cooperation projects were explored such as, gas systems, fuel and gas transportation, marketing of engine oils, petrol station construction and renovation, supplies of fuel pumps and dispensers, as well as other activities were discussed at the meeting.
These other projects were to be studied for possible implementation further down the line, Al-Enmaa had reported.
Al-Enmaa is one of the Economic and Social Development Fund (ESDF) group of companies established under the former regime.
Al-Enmaa domestic gas cylinder refilling stations agreed with Brega
