US Firm AED Global Said to Be Preparing Libya Oil Entry

French intelligence publication Africa Intelligence has reported that US oil exploration and production company AED Global is preparing to enter Libya's oil sector, following recommendations from Massad Boulos, the United States' senior adviser for Arab and African affairs.

According to the outlet, AED Global is seeking to establish a foothold in Libya's oil market after Boulos's push to activate the presence of American companies in the sector. The report states that the company is in talks with the National Oil Corporation (NOC) to secure development of the Zallah field in the Sirte Basin, operated by NOC subsidiary Sirte Oil Company.

Africa Intelligence said AED Global is capitalising on the momentum created by Boulos to help re-establish an American presence in Libya's oil sector. The company is headed by Lawrence Kalemdjian, who also runs Amira Industries, an oil and gas company he co-manages with his brother Arman Kalemdjian. The two brothers previously developed oil projects in Iraq following 2003 and the second Gulf war, the report added.

The move comes as NOC chairman Masoud Suleman pursues a target of raising Libya's total oil output to two million barrels a day by 2030.